Rapid Appraisal of Articles About the Pressure Ulcer - Article Example

Download file to see previous pages... The study of Kordestani et al. (2008) aimed to compare the wound healing rate and incidence of infection in wounds treated with either bioactive dressing (dressing with hydrophilic mucopolysaccharide, chitosan) or conservative treatment (gauze) (p. 323). Data were collected from 85 patients with diabetic ulcers but due to attrition, only 54 patients were analyzed. The result of the study found out that a statistically significant difference (p<0.001) between the gauze and bioactive dressing groups exist as for the number of healed pressure ulcers (p<0.05), indicating that the use of a moist bioactive wound dressing increased the healing rate and saved costs more than the traditional dressings used in the hospitals.The design of the study is quantitative,randomised controlled trial where methods such as exclusion criteria, randomisation, blinding, intervention in the treatment group and standard wound care in the control group, debridement, use of National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) classification scale for pressure ulcers, Wagner scale for diabetic foot ulcers, and use of analysis of variance (ANOVA) and chi-square testing the data analysis were employed in the study. The study population included 1200 inpatients from five major teaching hospitals in Tehran, 85 of which were randomized to the treatment and control group. The strengths of the study include demonstration that the use of a moist bioactive wound dressing decreased the length of hospital stay and costs, avoided the need for grafting or a flap, reduced need for antibiotics and surgical debridement, and fewer amputation whereas limitations include difference in size between the two groups, the short study period, inadequate blinding and the large drop-out rate in the follow-up period.The study of Lindgren et al. (2005) aims to identify risk factors associated with pressure ulcer development among a mixed group of adult patients undergoing surgery (p. 605). Predictors of pressure ulcers in non-surgical patients such as low serum albumin level, low body mass index (BMI), and low blood pressure were also employed in patients undergoing surgery. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More