Prophylactic Sacral Dressing ( Icu ) And A Recommendation...

Prophylactic Sacral Dressing Application The old adage, prevention is worth an ounce of cure, holds true in nursing concerning pressure ulcer prevention. Hospital acquired pressure ulcers are a preventable event that nurses have the unique ability to impact directly. Not only will preventative measures impact the potential cost savings, they have the ability to impact patient care. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the evidence, identify benchmarking, discuss an outcome measurement tool, provide information on ethical, economical, and cultural concerns, and identify methods to disseminate the findings regarding prophylactic sacral dressing application in the intensive care unit (ICU) and a recommendation proposal. Summary of Evidence The National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel suggests emerging pressure ulcer prevention therapies which include prophylactic sacral dressing (PSD) application as an adjunct to nursing care (â€Å"Prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers†, 2014). Multiple studies have been completed on PSD use and have shown positive results. In a study by Byrne et al (2016), multiple factors place patients at risk for developing a pressure ulcer including low Braden scores indicating high risk and multi system involvement. The application of a PSD, resulted in a slightly greater than 50% decrease in pressure ulcer development (Byrne et al, 2016). In an article by Swafford, Culpepper, Dunn, (2016), they completed a review of literature that showed