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The Patient Advocate's Guide to Preventing Bedsores

Whenever a patient is in a nursing home, thatspend the necessary amount of time with each
patient is at risk of developing a bedsore.patient to ensure that the guidelines are
Although there are both and federal and statebeing followed. Sadly, understaffing at
guidelines specifically designed to preventnursing homes is a serious problem that leads
bed sores, many nursing homes and hospitalsto  patient  neglect.
have failed to follow these guidelines. As a
result, nursing home patients are developingFor example, many residents are immobile and
bedsores at an alarming rate. This articleunable to regularly reposition themselves
is designed to help patients and theirwhile lying in bed. The guidelines require
families prevent bedsores when in a nursingnurses and aides to physically move these
home.patients every few hours to prevent bedsores.
Unfortunately, by the time an overwhelmed
First, some background. What is a bedsore? Anurse gets around to checking on the
bedsore is skin and tissue that has diedresident, the two-hour time frame in which a
because it has not received sufficient oxygenbedsore can develop has already expired.
from the body. Since blood carries oxygen toSimilarly, bedsores are also caused by
all parts of our body, a bedsore is developedprolonged exposure of the skin to moisture.
when the blood vessels that feed the skin areIt is no wonder then that patients who are
compressed  or  damaged  in  some  manner.left to sit for hours in urine soaked diapers
and sheets quickly develop bedsores in places
The compression or damage prevents the bloodthat go unnoticed by the nursing home staff
from reaching the skin and the skin cellsand family members alike. Sadly, the
begin to die. If the blood supply continuessituation spirals out of control and the
to be damaged or compromised, more tissueresident suffers because the staff could not
will die. Eventually, the blood supplymake time to provide them with dry diapers
compromise can infect the underlying tissue,and  sheets.
bones and joints. It takes as little as two
(2) hours of sustained blood flow compromiseSo, what should patients do to prevent these
to  begin  this  process.devastating injuries? Fortunately, nursing
homes fear the civil tort system where juries
Bedsores are common in the lower back,can hold them financially accountable for
buttocks and on other boney protrusions thatfailing to follow the guidelines. Family
routinely come in contact with a patient'smembers should not hesitate to seek legal
bed. Although every patient in a nursingadvice if their loved one develops a bedsore.
home is susceptible to bedsores, the majorityIn addition, family members should go to the
of cases are easily preventable. The Unitedweb, print up several copies of the
States Department of Health and Humanguidelines and bring them to the nursing
Services has published clinical guidelineshome. Family members should sit down with
for  bedsore  prevention  since  1992.the nursing home's medical director to ensure
that the guidelines are being followed with
These guidelines can be found at Inrespect to their loved one. They should
addition, all nursing homes are required toleave a copy of the guidelines prominently
enact, publish, and follow similar guidelinesdisplayed on the resident's bedside table.
to prevent bedsores. Despite longstandingFinally, family members should follow-up in
published guidelines, why is it then thatwriting asking the director of medicine and
nursing home patients continue to developnursing if the guidelines are being followed
bedsores resulting in hospitalizations,on  an  every  other-day  basis.
medical complications and, in some instances,
death?The real key is involvement. Family members
cannot sit back and blindly trust that their
Basically, the failure of healthcareloved ones are in good hands. Most residents
facilities to employ enough qualified staffare already in poor health when they enter a
members is the primary reason for the highnursing home facility. Therefore, any
incidents of bedsores. Typically, licensedneglect can have serious physical
practical nurses that work in a nursing homeconsequences. It is only by being a patient
setting are less experienced and cheaper toadvocate in the manner set forth above that
employ when compared to registered nurses.family members can ensure that their loved
Furthermore, the resident to nurse ratio isone is receiving the federally and state
very high. The nurses are simply unable tomandated required bedsore prevention care.



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