skin-care-5.matches: skin care
Skin care during radiotherapy: a survey of UK practice.

Lavery BA.

Department of Clinical Oncology, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK.

A postal survey of skin care during radiotherapy throughout UK centres has shown considerable variability in practice between units. No scientific study has established the value of many of the treatments advocated and suggestions for a more rational approach to the care of irradiated skin are made. In particular, the continued use of common topical applications for the management of dry and moist desquamation is questioned.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7547522&dopt=Abstract skin, skin care, skin care medicine skin-care-5.matches: skin care
Adoption of a research-based practice for treatment of pressure ulcers.

Specht JP, Bergquist S, Frantz RA.

College of Nursing, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.

Evaluation of a skin care protocol for the treatment of pressure ulcers in this institution showed that practitioners did adopt research-based practice. This change in practice was associated with a corresponding decrease in costs for treatment. More pressure ulcers received treatment after implementation of the protocol. Furthermore, the majority of pressure ulcers were being treated with wound care modalities identified by research as supportive of healing. Use of antiseptic agents harmful to the healing process declined as did use of topical agents with little research base to support their efficacy. The shift to practice patterns that were more consistent with research findings was associated with a corresponding decrease in costs for pressure ulcer treatment. Factors in this situation that lead to the positive outcome of knowledge utilization were an organizational model that promoted accountability of individual practitioners, staff participation in decision making, agency regard for research, and consultation with a nurse expert. Informal individual utilization of knowledge related to the treatment of pressure ulcers reinforced use of the research-based practice and expedited formal implementation of a policy/procedure related to their treatment. The process of knowledge utilization that occurred in this institution provides a prototype of how research can be translated into practice. Although limited to one specific clinical problem, the results of this process can be applied to any clinical condition where there are sufficient research findings to support development of recommendations for practice.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7567579&dopt=Abstract skin, skin care, skin care medicine skin-care-5.matches: skin care
Skin care, chemical face peeling, and skin rejuvenation.

Ryan F, La Fourcade C.

Chemical face peeling is the application of solutions to the face to lift off various layers of the skin and remove wrinkles. Three types of chemical peels are currently available. Alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) peels are the most mild and, in lower concentrations, can be applied by nurses. Trichloracetic acid (TCA) peels are designed for peels of medium depth. Phenol peels are the oldest form of chemical peels and are used to remove deeper wrinkles. Skin care, including sun block, is important to the success of all three types of peel.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7568456&dopt=Abstract skin, skin care, skin care medicine skin-care-5.matches: skin care
The effectiveness of skin care protocols for pressure ulcers.

Hunter SM, Langemo DK, Olson B, Hanson D, Cathcart-Silberberg T, Burd C, Sauvage TR.

Pressure ulcers (PU) remain a serious healthcare problem in the United States. This study investigated the effectiveness of a prevention and early intervention program in reducing the prevalence of pressure ulcers (i.e., the number or the percentage of persons with pressure ulcers at a given time) in a rehabilitation hospital. The Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk was used to assess subjects' PU risk. Protocols were established for PU stages consistent with the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel consensus statement on pressure ulcers. Staff were educated about PUs and the specific protocols for prevention and treatment. Concurrent quarterly prevalence audits on a total of 116 patients were conducted for 1 year. An audit also was done 16 months after protocols had been established. There was a 60% decrease in pressure ulcer prevalence from the 25% baseline to the 10% found at the audit following implementation of the protocols.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7569301&dopt=Abstract skin, skin care, skin care medicine skin-care-5.matches: skin care
The use of the Modified Norton Scale in nursing-home patients.

Berglund B, Nordstrom G.

Patients in three nursing-home wards in Sweden were in 1991 assessed by the Modified Norton Scale (MNS). Of the 71 patients, 38 (49%) were considered to be at risk of developing pressure sores. Six of the patients had a total of eight pressure sores. Five sores were assessed as stage II, two sores as stage III and one sore as stage IV. Only two of the six patients with pressure sores had any preventive equipment in their beds. The nursing and medical documentation of the existing pressure sores was not satisfactory. Individual programs for skin care and routine assessment with a pressure sore prediction instrument, such as the MNS, would serve the dual purpose of directing the relevant measures to the patient groups at the greatest risk and would aid in assessing the efficacy of pressure sore treatment strategies.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7569521&dopt=Abstract skin, skin care, skin care medicine skin-care-5.matches: skin care
Preventing pressure ulcers through use of protocols in a mentored nursing model.

Kresevic DM, Naylor M.

Few conditions offer a better opportunity for nurses to have a dramatic and visible impact on quality care than skin care. Nursing interventions targeted to prevent pressure ulcers and their painful, costly complications are an expected standard of care in all care settings. Preventing pressure ulcers may be most important in the acute care setting, where previously healthy elders with acute illness, immobility, impaired appetite, and new-onset incontinence may suddenly and unexpectedly develop pressure ulcers. Often acute care nurses have not been fully cognizant of the threat that pressure ulcers can pose for acutely ill patients. Teaching nurses skills of prevention, including assessments, and interventions for this group of patients is critical. Traditional teaching methods supplemented with an innovative mentoring program and clinical protocols may be one way to accomplish this.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7590458&dopt=Abstract skin, skin care, skin care medicine skin-care-5.matches: skin care
Skin care for high-risk neonates.

Malloy-McDonald MB.

Skin care for the high-risk neonate requires both knowledge of the unique aspects of the physiology of the integument of the neonate and awareness of potential complications. Practices that are useful in the prevention and treatment of skin complications among adults may be harmful when applied to neonates or young children. Although the focus of this article is on the neonate, iatrogenic complications have been reported in older children as well. Because a definitive age at which percutaneous absorption is no longer a risk is not known, it is best to err on the side of conservatism and apply these principles of neonatal skin care to the pediatric population at large.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=7627292&dopt=Abstract skin, skin care, skin care medicine