English

Patient stories of living with a pressure ulcer

The article "Patient stories of living with a pressure ulcer" is an interesting journal of advanced nursing. This study is a report of the findings of a phenomenological study that explored the experience of people living with a pressure ulcer. Although pressure ulcers can occur in people of all ages, they are most commonly found in older people. Furthermore, a pressure ulcer can be described as acute, localized damage to the skin and tissue resulting from disruption of the blood supply to the area, usually caused by pressure, shear or friction, or a combination of any of these. Prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers generally consist of frequent change of position, regular skin inspections, skin care, the use of specialized pressure relieving equipment and also the treatment of malnutrition and incontinence. This certainly should be done if you want to be healthy and have good skin. Phenomenology has been employed to explore pressure ulcers, revealing concerns about loss of independence, pain, wound exudates, body image and social isolation. To make this article even more interesting, there was an approach, with single interviews. There were eight patients recruited during 2003-2004 using purposive sampling. The inclusion criteria were that participants must be over the age of sixty- five years, have a pressure ulcer for more than one month, and be able to give consent. Basically the eight participants were interviewed at four centre's using multiple data collectors. When people interviewed these patients, they wanted to make sure that they explored patients' view of their world and experience. They might have asked questions like "What condition are you in right now?" or "How do you feel?" The patients were in a really bad condition. They described this as pain and suffering. It provided undeniable and shocking revelations about the intensity of pain and subsequent impact on, and meaning of their lives. One of the eight patients replied "It was enough to make a grown man cry". Sometimes the only way you will feel better is staying still, but that might not even help. As a result, the care units found it hard to find an effective treatment. Nurses tried to give reassurance but were not always believed. They would always wonder if everything was getting better. They were taking everything in their hand, and it was really difficult, especially in this situation. Sometimes participants felt useless and compared themselves with how they were before, often making themselves miserable. "Miserable sod I was,