Patient was instructed on how to prevent pressure ulcer. A proper skin
care is crucial and involves inspecting skin
daily and an individualized bathing schedule, using warm (not hot) water and mild soap. Avoid massage over bony prominences and use lubricants if skin
is dry.
Make sure the skin
remains clean and dry. Examine the skin
daily. Inspect pressure areas gently. Make sure the bed linens remain dry and free of wrinkles. Pat the skin
dry, do not rub
SN instructed patient on wound care. Keep a clean dressing on your wound, dressings keep out germs and protect the wound from injury.
They also help absorb fluid that drains from the wound and could damage the skin
around it. Try to drink six to eight cups of water daily. Hydration is essential for healthy skin
.
Instructed in factors that contribute to poor skin
integrity such as immobilization, poor circulation, moisture, heat, anemia, shearing forces, poor nutritional status.
Patient was instructed on another leading type of chronic wounds is pressure ulcers. That occurs when pressure on the tissue is grater than the pressure in capillaries, and thus restricts blood flow into the area. Muscle tissues, which needs more oxygen and nutrients than skin
does, show the worst effects from prolonged pressure. As in other chronic ulcers, reperfusion injury damage tissue.
Patient was instructed on what to avoid in presence of ulcers. Friction and shear need to be reduced. Friction is the mechanical force exerted when skin
is dragged against a coarse surface while shear is the mechanical force caused by the interplay of gravity and friction.
Patient was instructed on the optimization of wound environment. Adequate nutrition and hydration, remove nonviable tissue, maintain moisture balance, protect the wound and peri-wound skin
, eliminate or minimize pain, cleanse, prevent and manage infection, control odor.
Patient was instructed on adequate nutrition and hydration to minimize wound development. Encourage protein, calorie-dense foods and fluids (unless contraindicated), monitor intake, weight and skin
turgor, assess and address impairments in dentition and swallowing.
Patient was instructed on traumatic wounds. Contusions are caused by more extensive tissue trauma after severe blunt or blast trauma. The overlying skin
may seem to be intact but later become non-viable. Extensive contusion may lead to infection.
Patient was instructed on factors that may contribute to chronic wounds is old age. The skin
of older people is more easily damaged, and older cells do not proliferate as fast and may not have an adequate response to stress in terms of gene up regulation of stress related proteins. In older cells, stress response genes are over expressed when the cell is not stressed, but when it is, the expression of these proteins is not regulated by as much as in younger cells.