1. Identify Mrs Phillips risk factors for pressure injury and falling.
There are multiple risk factors associated with Mrs Phillips. She is 84 years old and lives alone, suffering with 3 existing chronic illnesses hypertension, macular degeneration and arthritis which putting her at a high risk of having a fall. Mrs Phillips daughter has concerns of her mother not eating or drinking enough, spending a lot of time in bed and feeling unwell and dizzy which could result in a weakened physical state contributing to the risk of a fall or pressure injury. As Mrs Phillips frequently needs to use the bathroom the likelihood of her falling is increased as well as already sustaining a stage 2-pressure injury increases the chances of it developing.
2. Select 2 examples of evidence based approaches for the prevention of pressure injury highlighted in the guidelines that you would include in Mrs Phillips plan of care. Justify your choices.
As a result of Mrs Phillips recent fall resulting in her admission to hospital the following approaches for prevention of pressure injuries on entrance into the hospital would be firstly implementing skin protection. By eliminating shear, friction and moisture it decreases the changes of Mrs Phillips developing a pressure injury on entrance into the hospital (Pan Pacific Clinical Practice, 2012). The pan pacific guidelines preventative strategies are designed to protect the skin and state that the patient should be appropriately positioned to reduce shear and friction. To help prevent injuries for Mrs Phillips, using appropriate manual handling in line with the Occupational Health and Safety Guidelines should be used when positioning and transferring Mrs Phillips (Pan Pacific Clinical Practice, 2012). To further prevent pressure injuries to Mrs Phillips it would be important to not vigorously rub the skin to ensure no further damage. Also it would be recommended to use PH appropriate skin cleanser as well as drying Mrs Phillip thoroughly to protect the her skin from excess moisture (Pan Pacific Clinical Practice, 2012).
As Mrs Phillips has suffered a recent fall in the bathroom causing fractured ribs, severe bruising on her shoulder and hip and already has a stage 2 pressure injury on her sacrum it is important to decrease the risk of the pressure injury deteriorating. It is important that access to equipment and devices are used as a part of a prevention strategy. Mrs Phillips should be provided with easy access to equipment and devices to reduce discomfort to her injuries and manage her pressure injury she has already sustained (Australia commission in safety and quality in health care, 2012). When putting in place strategies to prevent pressure injuries deteriorating, Mrs Phillips equipment and devices should be evaluated for their usage and effectiveness and routine safety checks should be performed so machines are correctly functioning (Australia commission in safety and quality in health care, 2012). These devices, used to prevent pressure injuries, should undergo regular procedures; protocols and users of the equipment should follow guidelines so it is suitable and safe for the use and treatment of Mrs. Phillips (Australia commission in safety and quality in health care, 2012).
3. Select 2 examples of evidence based approaches for the prevention of falling highlighted in the guidelines that you would include in Mrs Phillips plan of care. Justify your choices.
Due to Mrs Phillips recent fall in the bathroom resulting in her fractured ribs and severe bruising, certain approaches for prevention of falling should be put in place. As Mrs Phillips is elderly, she is at a higher risk of having another fall so appropriateness of medication received should be reviewed routinely to maintain her safety (Best Practice Guidelines for Australian Hospital, 2012). Due to Mrs. Phillips injuries and previous conditions such as her Hypertension and Arthritis, medications that she takes
