It’s time to start looking after nurses to boost care
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- Article: Preventing, assessing and managing skin tears
- Author: Janice Bianchi is medical education specialist and honorary lecturer, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Science, University of Glasgow.
Key points
- Skin tears usually occur in immature skin in neonates and in older people
- Evidence on their prevalence and incidence is limited and generally dated
- Nurses should be aware of the risk factors associated with skin tears and minimise risks to patients wherever possible
- Prevention should start with early identification
of those at risk - The most important aspect of assessment and management is to minimise further trauma and preserve viable tissue
Let’s discuss …
- Why are skin tears and increasing problem in tissue viability?
- How would you identify a patient who is at risk of skin tears?
- Think about patients you care for who are at risk of skin tears. How could you minimise this risk?
- How would you assess and manage a skin tear?
From Putting it into practice
How do we put research into practice in the surgery or the hospital ward? Each week we’ll pick out a practice article and pose some topics for debate and you can pose your own questions too …Follow the weekly debates on twitter with #NTjournalclub
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