Pressure ulcers are injuries that break down the skin and any other underlying tissue. This happens especially when a part of the skin is placed under some pressure hence reducing blood flow to that part of the skin (Smith et Al., 2013). Lack of enough blood causes the skin to die causing an ulcer. Most patients get this kind of ulcer as a result of staying in bed for a long time. The symptoms of a pressure ulcer are: the skin on that part becomes red and later forming a blister and an open sore. It mostly occurs in the buttocks, hips, elbow, heels and back (Coleman et al., 2013). Pressure ulcers just like any other disease it can be prevented. There is the need to check the elderly and patients every day whose mobility is limited for pressure sores. Their position in the bed should be changed after every 2 hours to relieve any emerging threat. Items such as pillows, foam padding, sheepskin, and power from the hospital should be used to reduce the pressure. Patients should also eat a balanced diet to keep them healthy. Importantly, there is the need to drink a lot of water and exercise daily (Chou et al., 2013).
Together with my mentor, we discussed the data analysis methods that can be used to analyze data from the survey on patients suffering from the pressure ulcer. Through my mentor, I learnt that the best method for data analysis should be reliable and valid. Some of the methods for data analysis that we come across include; the mean, mode, median, and regression methods (Ott & Longnecker, 2015). Mean refers to the average of variables in the group. It is arrived by dividing their total sum with the number of the numbers. The median is the middle value in the list of numbers. The mode is the value that occurs the most in the list but the numbers must first be arranged in ascending order. Regression methods for data analyzing estimate the relationship between the variables (Ott & Longnecker, 2015). Basically, it analyses the relationship between the dependent and independent variable.
Once the findings have been analyzed, they should be presented. The findings can be presented through a report, presentation or through a video to the targeted population (Ott & Longnecker, 2015). For these findings, they will be presented through a report. Presentation through the report is preferable since it is cheaper and it reaches a large group of people. The report will include a clear description of the findings. Charts and tables would also be used to help the reader to understand the data.
Pressure ulcer is a condition of the skin that is preventable. To prevent the ulcer, people should exercise regularly and eat a balanced diet. Patients in hospitals should be monitored so that they do not sleep in one position in bed for long. The methods used for data analysis should be reliable and valid for them to give accurate results of the findings.
References
Chou, R., Dana, T., Bougatsos, C., Blazina, I., Starmer, A. J., Reitel, K., & Buckley, D. I. (2013). Pressure ulcer risk assessment and prevention: a systematic comparative effectiveness review. Annals of internal medicine,159(1), 28-38.
Coleman, S., Gorecki, C., Nelson, E. A., Closs, S. J., Defloor, T., Halfens, R., & Nixon, J. (2013). Patient risk factors for pressure ulcer development: systematic review. International journal of nursing studies, 50(7), 974-1003.
Ott, R. L., & Longnecker, M. (2015). An introduction to statistical methods and data analysis. Nelson Education.
Smith, M. B., Totten, A., Hickam, D. H., Fu, R., Wasson, N., Rahman, B., & Saha, S. (2013). Pressure ulcer treatment strategies: a systematic comparative effectiveness review. Annals of internal medicine, 159(1), 39-50.
Weerahandi, S. (2013). Exact statistical methods for data analysis. Springer Science & Business Media.
