Summative Essay

A Summative Essay 1

A Summative Essay

Name

Course

Professor’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Date

A Summative Essay 2

A Summative Essay

Introduction

Risk assessment is defined as the overall process where one identifies hazards and risk

factors which are likely to cause harm, analyzing and evaluating risks which are associated

with a hazard and determining best ways to eliminate the hazard, control the risk and when the

risk will be eliminated (Morton et al 2017, 1056). The patient of who I carried out risk

assessment is called Betsy who had pressure ulcer patient. Pressure ulcer condition is also

called bedsores or decubitus ulcers (Drennan et al 2015, 12). They are injuries to the skin and

the underlying tissues because of long-time pressure on the skin. They are mostly found in the

bonny arrears of the body such as ankles, hip, and heels. The people are mostly affected by this

condition are the ones who spend a lot of their time in a bed or chair or the ones who are not

able to change their position more often (Lee, 2016, 10). Because of this, pressure ulcers

develop quickly and can be treated though others never heal completely.

“Hello Betsy, I hope you are well, I would to take you through a risk assessment to

determine if you are at risk of pressure ulcers” this was my beginning words to may patient. In

ascertaining that Betsy has pressure ulcer, I carried out the following risk assessment. First is

that I selected a team to work with who had good knowledge of the pressure ulcers condition

where I acted as the supervisor for the whole period we undertook the assessment on Betsy

(Morton et al 2017, 1056). While I was carrying out the assessment, I followed the order below;

 I identified that Betsy had pressure ulcer on her ankle

 I sought to determination the likelihood of harm Betsy can have from pressure ulcers

condition such as possibility of it occurring where normal operation should be

considered, review of the available health and safety information about the pressure

ulcers and identification of the legislated requirements in the boundaries given.

 I then identified some of the actions which are needed to eliminate the problem or bring

it into control

A Summative Essay 3

 I then carried out evaluation to know whether the problem has been eliminated or if the

risk has been controlled.

 I came up with Monitoring program to ensure the hazard is in control

 I documented all the findings, the processes I to determine the risk and the conclusions

I made.

Importance of risk assessment

Risk assessment that I carried out on Betsy is of great importance and the reason for doing

it is because of the following purpose (White et al 2016, 46);

 To make known to Betsy of the dangers of pressure ulcer and its risks on her health

 To create awareness in her life on how to treat the hazard

 To determine whether it would be necessary to give her a program for controlling this

condition or not

 To ascertain whether the measures which are already exist would help her or I could

help her in adding more measures in cubing the disease

 To help her be able to prevent any possible illness that may come along with this

condition

 So that Betsy would give priority to controlling pressure ulcers she has on her ankles

It was after I did this risk assessment on Betsy that she was able to know the effects it has

on her and this has been of great help in making her implement proper measures in her life. I

was able thus to categorize the kind of people who are more prevalent to pressure ulcers

depending on what people do on their daily work (Morton et al 2017, 1056). From the

assessment, it was clear that Betsy was developing an illness and thus my assessment on her

has been of great help in preventing further development of disease. If I had not carried out

this risk assessment on her, Betsy could have developed skin disease which can finally lead to

death, marked skin or lack of sensation on her skin (Drennan et al 2015, 12). It was, therefore,

important that I carried out this risk assessment on Betsy. The result of my assessment helped

Betsy to reduce the cost of treatment she would have had to pay if the condition had gone to

A Summative Essay 4

the extreme end. The assessment as well helped her to reduce marks on her skin and increase

her skin sensation.

Findings of the risk assessment for pressure ulcer on Betsy

I found several things from the assessment I did to Betsy concern pressure ulcers and

its effects on person’s health. The first finding I realized is that since Betsy was a cleaner in an

institution, she developed pressure ulcers without her notice. This is because some parts of the

skin experienced pressure which led to pressure ulcer. I can therefore say that development of

pressure ulcers is prevalent among people who are involved in manual labour more often

(Morton et al 2017, 1056). I found out that apart from exposing some part of her skin on high

pressure, I attributed also the development of pressure ulcers on Betsy to the following cause;

Betsy used to sleep a lot and therefore, her body lacked mobility thus making the skin

vulnerable in that when she exposed her skin to some pressure, skin sores developed (Lee,

2016, 10). Additionally, I realized that people who are engaged in soft work are less likely to

have pressure ulcers because they are not exposed to causes of pressure ulcers.

The effects of pressure ulcers condition to Betsy is that it caused immobility of the

body. This is because during her work, Betsy might have injured her spinal code or because

she has not be feeding well. Also, she was in danger of losing perception on the sensory nerves

which made her not to feel pain on some parts of the skin (Morton et al 2017, 1056). The best

thing I did to Betsy was to give her advice on what she needed to eat so that her skin will be

nourished. I used assessment scales tool in carrying out this risk assessment thus realizing the

above findings (Drennan et al 2015, 12). While using this tool, I assigned values to the factors

which I was considering and then I calculated total score by adding all the values assigned to

the factors. I therefore used the overall result as the indicator for the pressure ulcers risk. I used

this tool because it is free of bias and thus the results were accurate.

Actions I took in addressing pressure ulcers on Betsy

Following the risk assessment I did on Betsy, there are various actions I took in helping

her to address her condition. The first action I took was to make her understand why she needed

A Summative Essay 5

to avoid sleeping a lot. Her body needed to be mobile so that her skin would not be vulnerable

to damage (Morton et al 2017, 1056). Something that will help her avoid such condition in the

future is to ensure that while sleeping, she needs to needs to be shifting her body regularly so

that she avoids stressing her skin at one point. The second action I took was to give her tips on

how she will protect her hands since she was involved in manual work daily as a cleaner. I

advised her to acquire protective clothes to be worn on her hands. I also gave her advice on

how to sleep where her bed should always be elevated at least 30 degrees to prevent shear

(Drennan et al 2015, 12). I gave her as well tips of how she was going to take care of her skin

by ensuring that it is clean and dry at all times. I gave her menu of the right food to east so as

to improve the nutrition of the skin so that skin will have the necessary nutrients (Dougherty,

and Lister, 2015, 101). Since Betsy was mostly using her hands to clean, I advised her to use

talcum powder which protect the skin from tear on the friction points and always she should

apply oil to soften her skin.

In helping Betsy to heal from her condition, I advised her to ensure that she does

exercise on a regular basis. I gave her a schedule on how she was going to carry out the exercise.

She was to ensure that she takes a morning run at least three times in a week and many more.

I gave her appointments where she could come I inspect her skin to note any improvements on

a regular basis. This action was to help me monitor her improvement towards healing and to

ensure that she does not get worse (Morton et al 2017, 1056). All this actions that I took bore

much fruit on the life of Betsy and her condition got better each and every day. They were the

best actions I could take in addressing the risks that I identified during the assessment of

pressure ulcers on Betsy.

The effectiveness of the actions undertaken

After some time as I have stated earlier, the actions I took in addressing pressure ulcers

on Betsy were very effective. Something that proved to be of great help in my risk assessment

is the tool I used during this assessment. The tool helped me to easily identify that Betsy was

suffering from pressure ulcers and this helped her to take the necessary measures in ensuring

A Summative Essay 6

that she brings it under control (Morton et al 2017, 1056). It gave me a chance to educate her

on the measures she needed so that she would manage the condition herself. Since I followed

her extermination closely, her condition was getting better day by day which is a clear show

that the actions I took were very effective (Brown et al 2017, 53). In extension, the guidelines

I gave her made her to monitor any sign or symptom of developing pressure ulcers again in her

life. This helped her to have well preventive mechanism and it brought enlightment to her on

the causes, effects and how to prevent (Drennan et al 2015, 12). Since there may be some

opposition on the preventive methods, I advised nurses to ensure that they consider mental

capacity of any patient who will be having such resistance (Morton et al 2017, 1056).

Conclusion

I can say in conclusion that an essential aspect on patient safety is preventing pressure

ulcers. In the process of helping Betsy to prevent pressure ulcers, I had to carry out risk

assessment while incorporating evaluation which had already been done together with

inspecting the condition of the skin (Morton et al 2017, 1056). When I relaized that Betsy’s

skin had been damaged, I prompted on the preventive measures and how her condition was

going to be treated. Some of the ways of prevention I gave to Betsy are; wearing protective

clothes while working, reducing the amount of sleep, shift the potion regularly while sleeping

and maintaining her skin clean and dry all the time (Drennan et al 2015, 12). I gave her signs

and symptoms of pressure ulcers so that any sign of skin damage she should be able to prompt

re-evaluation on how to prevent such a condition. It is true that some pressure ulcers are not

avoidable and the healthcare team, organizations dealing with patient safety, health

organization and other relevant bodies should note (Brown et al 2017, 53). Finally I can state

that the risk assessment that I carried out on Betsy was very effective because I saw the changes

while dealing with her. Any person who will follow the same procedure will certainly have

positive results and improve their skin health.

References

A Summative Essay 7

Brown, D., Edwards, H., Seaton, L. and Buckley, T., 2017. Lewis's Medical-Surgical Nursing:

Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Dougherty, L. and Lister, S. eds., 2015. The Royal Marsden manual of clinical nursing

procedures. John Wiley & Sons.

Drennan, V.M., Halter, M., Grant, R., Gale, J., Harris, R. and Gourlay, S., 2015. Adult nurse

turnover and retention: South London project report.

Lee, K., 2016. Using Cognitive Behaviour Therapy in counselling non-adherent hypertensive

patients: A nurse counsellor perspective. International Journal of Public Health and

Clinical Sciences, 3(6), pp.1-10.

Morton, P.G., Fontaine, D., Hudak, C.M., and Gallo, B.M., 2017. Critical care nursing: a

holistic approach (p. 1056). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

White, K.M., Dudley-Brown, S. and Terhaar, M.F. eds., 2016. Translation of evidence into

nursing and health care. Springer Publishing Company.

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Paper type

Deadline

Page count

550 words

Total price: $ 15.00

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

USA, Student

"I'm fully satisfied with the essay I've just received. When I read it, I felt like it was exactly what I wanted to say, but couldn’t find the necessary words. Thank you!"

Ian McGregor

UK, Student

"I don’t know what I would do without your assistance! With your help, I met my deadline just in time and the work was very professional. I will be back in several days with another assignment!"

Shannon Williams

Canada, Student

"It was the perfect experience! I enjoyed working with my writer, he delivered my work on time and followed all the guidelines about the referencing and contents."

Place new order. It's free, fast and safe

Our customers say

Jeff Curtis

Ian McGregor

Shannon Williams