PRESSURE SORE MANAGEMENT IN ADULT PATIENTS Essay

PRESSURE SORE MANAGEMENT IN ADULT PATIENTS - Essay Example Furthermore, just as there are different terms for the same health care challenge there are a wide range of interventions that have been used over a long period of time in the management of pressure sore, with some even extending into the exotic in the form of magic potions, as the search for the right intervention in the management of pressure sores carries on (Ayello et al, 2008). The body of knowledge on pressure sores currently has expanded into a large volume of literature that is used as evidence in developing intervention strategies for pressure sores. Yet, quite often the value of the evidence received from research on pressure sores is quite often undermined by the poor research design, with particular emphasis on methodically sound empirical investigations and randomized controlled studies. This has hampered the expanding of the right understanding of pressure sores and the taking of correct informed decisions in the management of pressure sores (Ponto, 2005). The true inci dence and prevalence of pressure sores also remains a puzzle. ... These risk factors are classified under different heads consisting of medical diagnoses, co-morbidities and earlier medical episodes, patient demographics that include advanced age, anthropometric status, physiological status, nutritional status, functional status, psychological status, social behaviour and quality of nursing care. From the perspective of the importance of pressure sores to adult nursing two key aspects stand out in the risk factors associated with pressure sores. The first aspect is that many of the risk factors associated with the development of pressure sores can be found in a large proportion of the adult population in society, with particular emphasis on the elderly segment. The second is the inclusion of the quality of nursing care in the risk factors for the development of pressure sores, with the obvious implication that when nursing care is deficient or lacks the proper care elements, there are enhanced chances in the pressure sores overwhelming the nursing care provided to increase the negative outcomes for the patients (Bergstrom, 2005). In the upkeep of the health of society there is the need for greater emphasis in adult nursing, which stems from the rising trends in the elderly segment of population. Developments in the field of medical science have resulted in increased longevity of life, which is an important factor in the elderly population segment becoming the fastest growing segment of population. In 1980 the United Nations (UN) had forecasted that the number of elderly individuals above the age of 65 around the world would rise to 760 million in 2025. By 1999 the UN was forced to change the estimates of the elderly population above the age