Peristomal skin care: seeking the solution to maintain skin integrity?

Francesca Ramadan reviews the mechanisms, benefits and limitations of the most common peristomal skin complication treatments, empowering stoma care practitioners to provide more effective and personalised solutions for their patients.

Is the varying management of incontinence-associated dermatitis due to a lack of understanding of etiology?

Incontinence-associated dermatitis, previously and sometimes still referred to as moisture lesions or moisture damage, is a commonly seen contact dermatitis that is a reactive response of the skin to chronic contact to urine and faecal matter. Understanding the etiology is fundamental to creating a skin care plan and successfully prevention. Systemic reviews and studies have shown that the continued variability in management results from a combination of knowledge base, observation, diagnosis, and product selection. This article aims to improve clinicians' understanding of incontinence-associated dermatitis and its management.

Cuidados de enfermagem com crianças e adolescentes com epidermólise bolhosa: revisão sistemática / Cuidados de enfermería a niños y adolescente con epidermólisis ampollosa: revisión sistemática / Nursing care for children and adolescents with epidermolysis bullosa: a systematic review

Resumo Objetivo Analisar a produção científica referente às ações/Intervenções de Enfermagem no ambiente hospitalar relacionadas ao cuidado com crianças e adolescentes com epidermólise bolhosa. Métodos Revisão sistemática, cuja busca se deu nas bases Cinahl, MEDLINE®/PubMed®, SCOPUS, LILACS e SciELO, realizada no período de setembro de 2020 a janeiro de 2021. Para a busca, foram utilizados os descritores "epidermólise bolhosa" AND "criança" AND "adolescente" AND "enfermagem", nas bases Lilacs e SciELO, e "epidermolysis bullosa" AND "children" AND "adolescent" AND, "nursing" nas demais bases em inglês. Resultados Houve maior registro de artigos publicados com base na pergunta norteadora tendo como país de origem os Estados Unidos (22%). A maioria da classificação era no nível VI (44%) da evidência científica. Ainda, 86% dos estudos envolveram pesquisas para o plano de cuidados. As evidências encontradas decorreram de opiniões de especialistas, estudos de casos e consenso. Os fatores de cuidados mais citados foram planos de cuidados voltados à pele; troca de fraldas; cuidados com as roupas e uso de coberturas antiaderentes. Conclusão As pesquisas reportaram dificuldades quanto à disponibilidade de materiais, tratamento e profissionais especializados, além das limitações dos conhecimentos na prática clínica voltada às características da epidermólise bolhosa. Dentre os cuidados, houve destaque para informação sobre a complexidade e as características da ferida como forma de antecipar as estratégias de cuidado.

Resumen Objetivo Analizar la producción científica referente a las acciones/intervenciones de enfermería en el ambiente hospitalario relacionadas con el cuidado a niños y adolescentes con epidermólisis ampollosa. Métodos Revisión sistemática, cuya búsqueda se realizó en las bases Cinahl, MEDLINE®/PubMed®, SCOPUS, LILACS y SciELO, realizada en el período de septiembre de 2020 a enero de 2021. Para la búsqueda se utilizaron los descriptores "epidermólisis ampollosa" AND "niño" AND "adolescente" AND "enfermería", en las bases Lilacs y SciELO, y "epidermolysis bullosa" AND "children" AND "adolescent" AND, "nursing" en las demás bases en inglés. Resultados Con base en la pregunta orientadora, hubo un mayor registro de artículos publicados que tenían como país de origen Estados Unidos (22 %). La mayoría de la clasificación era de nivel VI (44 %) de la evidencia científica. Además, el 86 % de los estudios incluyeron investigaciones en el plano de los cuidados. Las evidencias encontradas derivaban de opiniones de especialistas, estudios de casos y consenso. Los factores de cuidados más citados fueron planos de cuidados orientados a la piel, cambio de pañales, cuidados con la ropa y uso de coberturas antiadherentes. Conclusión Las investigaciones indicaron dificultades en cuanto a la disponibilidad de material, tratamiento y profesionales especializados, además de las limitaciones de conocimientos en la práctica clínica orientada hacia las características de la epidermólisis ampollosa. Entre los cuidados, se destacó la información sobre la complejidad y las características de la herida como forma de anticipar las estrategias de cuidado.

Abstract Objective To analyze the scientific production regarding actions/Nursing Interventions in hospital environments related to the care of children and adolescents with epidermolysis bullosa. Methods This is a systematic review, which was searched in the CINAHL, MEDLINE®/PubMed®, Scopus, LILACS and SciELO databases, carried out from September 2020 to January 2021. For the search, the descriptors "epidermólise bolhosa" AND "criança" AND "adolescente" AND "enfermagem" were used, in Portuguese, in the LILACS and SciELO databases, and "epidermolysis bullosa" AND "children" AND "adolescent" AND "nursing" in the other databases. Results There was a greater number of articles published based on the guiding question having the United States as the country of origin (22%). Most of the classification was at level VI (44%) of scientific evidence. Still, 86% of studies involved research for the care plan. The evidence found resulted from expert opinions, case studies and consensus. The most cited care factors were skin care plans, diaper changing, clothing care and non-stick coating use. Conclusion The surveys reported difficulties regarding the availability of materials, treatment and specialized professionals, in addition to limitations of knowledge in clinical practice focused on the characteristics of epidermolysis bullosa. Among the care, there was emphasis on information about the wound complexity and characteristics as a way of anticipating care strategies.

Stoma-related considerations in palliative patients.

In the community there are about 200 000 people with a stoma. Some of these may have been performed as a palliative procedure to relieve a bowel obstruction, for example. Alternatively, the condition of the patient may have altered. A person with a stoma may, for many reasons, be approaching the end of life. There are a number of stoma-related issues that can occur at the end of life as a result of cancer treatment, such as skin around the stoma being damaged as a result of chemotherapy or changes in weight. In the palliative setting, patients may no longer be able to independently care for their stoma and may require assistance from the community nurse. Input from the community nurse may include information on changing stool consistency, as a result of disease progression or cancer treatment. Alternatively, nursing input might be necessary to train carers to perform stoma care. Community nurses can also provide knowledge to patients to improve understanding and decrease anxiety at the end of life.

Periwound skin care considerations for older adults.

This article discusses the effects of ageing on the skin, particularly the main structural and functional changes that occur in the epidermis and dermis that make the skin more vulnerable to damage. Specific alterations that occur with ageing include slower epidermal turnover, flattening of the epidermal-dermal junction, loss of moisture and hydration as well as reduced immunity placing the skin at increased risk of damage. The discussion will also examine common periwound complications associated with ageing including; maceration, excoriation, dry skin, hyperkeratosis, callus, contact dermatitis and eczema. Strategies to manage these problems and interventions to reduce the risk of these complications include moisturising the skin to make it more resilient, debriding keratinised and callus tissue in the periwound area, appropriate choice of dressings to manage excessive exudate, careful removal of dressings as well as treating inflammatory conditions of the periwound skin.

Development and Implementation of a Simple Wound Care Guideline for Minor Skin Lesions: A Quality Improvement Project.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this quality improvement project was to use the best available evidence and expert opinion to develop and implement a simple inpatient nursing care guideline ("The Guideline") for patients with minor skin lesions, including candidiasis, skin tears, incontinence-associated dermatitis, and stage 1 and stage 2 pressure injuries that would not require a WOC nurse consultation. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The Guideline was developed for nurses working on inpatient adult acute care units in a large community hospital in southwest Minnesota. APPROACH: The Guideline was validated for its clarity and appropriateness by internal and external hospital-based wound care nurses and implemented through in-person rounding on the nursing units and distribution of badge cards and required completing an online education module. Surveys and wound documentation audits were conducted to measure changes in knowledge and skin care pre- and postimplementation of The Guideline. OUTCOMES: We conducted wound documentation audits of approximately 491 records that assessed whether patients received appropriate treatment and found an improvement from 45% (104 of 231) to 80% (209 of 260). Nurses' self-rating of their knowledge about which dressings and topical treatment to use improved from 18% (16 of 89) agreement to 57% (55 of 96). Nurses' self-rating of their knowledge about when to change dressings and reapply topical treatments improved from 27% (24 of 89) agreement to 65% (62 of 96). IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Although there is evidence for a variety of dressings or products to treat wounds, this quality improvement project demonstrated increased adherence with providing appropriate care when fewer treatment options were recommended to nursing staff through our structured guideline. The Guideline continues to be used at the project site and is now being implemented at affiliate hospitals.

Using a novel breathable silicone adhesive (Sil2 technology) in stoma appliances to improve peristomal skin health: answering the key questions.

Fiona Le Ber answers some of the questions that stoma care nurses may have regarding this novel silicone adhesive based technology, which helps to avoid medical adhesive related skin injury (MARSI) and moisture-associated skin damage (MASD). Whereas hydrocolloid stoma appliances absorb moisture, this has a non-absorptive method of moisture management that prevents peristomal skin becoming damp and excoriated.

Peristomal Skin Health: A WOCN Society Consensus Conference.

The Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses (WOCN) Society identified the need to define and promote peristomal skin health. A task force was appointed to complete a scoping literature review, to develop evidence-based statements to guide peristomal skin health best practices. Based on the findings of the scoping review, the Society convened a panel of experts to develop evidence- and consensus-based statements to guide care in promoting peristomal skin health. These consensus statements also underwent content validation using a different panel of clinicians having expertise in peristomal skin health. This article reports on the scoping review and subsequent 6 evidenced-based statements, along with the generation and validation of 19 consensus-based statements, to assist clinical decision-making related to promoting peristomal skin health in adults.

Best Practice in Pressure Injury Prevention Among Critical Care Patients.

Pressure injuries are areas of damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by pressure or pressure in combination with shear. Pressure injury prevention in the critical care population necessitates risk assessment, selection of appropriate preventive interventions, and ongoing assessment to determine the adequacy of the preventive interventions. Best practices in preventive interventions among critical care patients, including skin and tissue assessment, skin care, repositioning, nutrition, support surfaces, and early mobilization, are described. Unique considerations in special populations including older adults and individuals with obesity are also addressed.

Skin injury prevention and treatment in the older person: reframing our approach in the community setting.

In the past, maintaining skin integrity has been synonymous with preventing and treating a single skin injury, namely pressure injury. However, there is growing recognition that this single-injury approach overlooks the multitude of skin injuries that may be sustained by older people. This article proposes that reframing the approach to skin integrity care away from the single-injury focus and towards a comprehensive and holistic paradigm is imperative. Guided by the Skin Safety Model, this article presents a case study illustrating comprehensive skin integrity assessment and care planning for an older person in the community setting. It is hoped that the information presented will guide community nurses in addressing skin injuries experienced by older adults in holistic and comprehensive way.

Using a novel breathable silicone adhesive (Sil2™ technology) in stoma appliances to improve peristomal skin health: answering the key questions.

Fiona Le Ber answers some of the questions that stoma care nurses may have regarding this novel silicone adhesive based technology, which helps to avoid medical adhesive related skin injury (MARSI) and moisture-associated skin damage (MASD). Whereas hydrocolloid stoma appliances absorb moisture, this has a non-absorptive method of moisture management that prevents peristomal skin becoming damp and excoriated.

Selecting convexity to improve and maintain peristomal skin integrity.

Each person with a stoma is an individual who may react differently when faced with similar situations and, as such, each patient needs to be considered on a person-by-person basis to address their needs, support their acceptance of living with a stoma, as well as to encourage their rehabilitation. This article discusses the benefits that a convex flange can offer ostomates to reduce and minimise leakage episodes and in doing so support peristomal skin integrity and, in particular, the benefits of a convex pouch with a hydrocolloid flange containing medical grade Manuka honey. It reports on the findings of an independent nurse study, which included discussions about the varying types of convexity offered to ostomates, following an assessment of patients' needs.

Knowledge of nursing students on the subject of pressure ulcers prevention and treatment. What we know about pressure ulcers?

<b>Introduction: </b>Pressure ulcers and their consequences can occur in any patient regardless of the underlying disease, so the knowledge of their prevention and treatment is extremely important. <br><b>The aim of the study:</b> The aim of the study was to analyze the state of students' knowledge on pressure ulcers.<br><b> Material and methods:</b> The research was carried out in the Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin among students of nursing. The study involved 203 full-time students. Data was collected using a questionnaire consisting of 27 questions. The questions addressed the issues of the formation, prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. The Kolmogorow-Smirnow, Fisher-Snedecor test, (ANOVA) with Spearman's correlation and Student's t-test were applied for statistical analysis. The statistical significance was assumed to be p ≤ 0.05. <br><b>Results:</b> Over half of the respondents (57.64%) had a sufficient level of knowledge on pressure ulcers prevention and treatment. The level increased with the duration of the study, the highest was in the last few years, both I and II cycle of studies. The better (the higher) subjects assessed their knowledge about prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers, they were characterized by a higher level of knowledge. <br><b>Conclusions:</b> The knowledge of nursing students on pressure ulcers increases with subsequent years of study. The selfassessment of students' knowledge about pressure ulcers, their prevention and treatment is accurate. Students of the consecutive years are better prepared to carry out anti-bedsore prevention. Students are aware of the need to have knowledge, as well as practice in the field of prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers.

[Decreasing the Incidence of Medical Adhesive-Related Skin Injuries in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit].

BACKGROUND & PROBLEMS: Medical adhesives are typically used to fix wound dressings and catheters in place. Medical adhesive-related skin injuries (MARSI) are frequently caused by repetitive or improper usage of these products. The incidence rate in this unit is as high as 12.5%, which increases the difficulty and cost of care. After analysis of the situation, we identified the main causes of MARSI in our unit as: (1) Inadequate use of medical-adhesive products, (2) Lack of relevant education and training to prevent MARSI, and (3) lack of a standardized skin-damage-care procedure. PURPOSE: To decrease the incidence of MARSI in the pediatric intensive care unit. RESOLUTIONS: A training program was enacted to teach proper medical-adhesive application and removal techniques to caregivers. Consensus on care procedures was reached and care standards were modified. A mechanism for quality control was established. RESULTS: After implementing the program, the incidence of MARSI dropped from 12.5% to 5.18%, which achieved the target of this project. CONCLUSIONS: Other caregivers at our institution remain unaware of MARSI prevention techniques and protocols. We plan to continue cooperating with other staff members to prevent MARSI and to continue to reduce related skin injuries to as close to nil as possible.

Determination of nurses' level of knowledge on the prevention of pressure ulcers: The case of Turkey.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Pressure ulcers (PUs) constitute a health issue that has a high prevalence and incidence rate in acute and long-term care, requiring long-term nursing care for treatment and prevention. Therefore, nurses should have adequate knowledge of the interventions and practices used to prevent PUs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study employed a descriptive and cross-sectional design to assess the level of nurses' knowledge concerning preventive interventions for PUs. Based on data found in the literature, researchers developed a 16-question Participant Information Form (including age, gender, level of education, employed ward, and training on PUs) and used this form, along with the Turkish version of the Pressure Ulcer Prevention Knowledge Assessment Instrument (PUPKAI-T), to collect data. RESULTS: A group of 471 nurses working in two foundation hospitals in 2018 participated in the study by completing a questionnaire. Among the participants, 44.2% worked in surgery, 21.2% in internal medicine, and 34.6% in other wards (such as intensive care, pediatrics, and the operating theater). Most of the nurses(73.5%) held a bachelor's degree, and their average work experience was 7.27 ± 7.00 years. It was determined that 69.4% of the nurses had not received in-service training relating to PUs, 55.6% did not attend lectures/conferences or read articles on the prevention of PUs, and 59.7% rated themselves as "adequate" in interventions used to prevent PUs. Based on the use of PUPKAI-T, 17 individuals (3.6%) scored equal to or more than the 60% cut-off value, and 454 individuals (96.4%) scored less than 60%. The mean level of knowledge on PUs was calculated as 11.1 ± 2.659 (range: 1-18) out of 26 questions. CONCLUSIONS: Results of the study showed that the general level of knowledge of nurses in preventing PUs are extremely insufficient. Therefore, various strategies should be developed to increase nurses' level of knowledge on the etiology and development, classification and observation, and risk assessment of PUs, as well as on nutrition plans and preventive interventions.

Nurses' decision-making about cancer patients' end-of-life skin care in Wales: an exploratory mixed-method vignette study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with cancer are at high risk of developing pressure ulcers at the end of life as a result of their underlying condition or cancer treatment. There are many guidelines which set out best practice with regard to end-of-life skin care. However, the complexity of palliative cancer care often means that it is challenging for nurses to make the appropriate person-centred decisions about end-of-life skin care. This study seeks to explore the perceived importance that nurses place on different factors in their end-of-life skin care for patients with cancer. The utility, face validity and content validity of a prototype decision-making tool for end-of-life skin care will also be evaluated. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A mixed-method design will be used to gather data from primary and secondary care nurses working in different hospitals and local authority areas across Wales. Clinical vignettes will be used to gather qualitative and quantitative data from nurses in individual interviews. Qualitative data will be subject to thematic analysis and quantitative data will be subject to descriptive statistical analysis. Qualitative and quantitative data will then be synthesised, which will enhance the rigour of this study, and pertinently inform the further development of an end-of-life skin care decision-making tool for patients with cancer. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval to undertake the study has been granted by Cardiff University School of Healthcare Sciences Research Governance and Ethics Screening Committee. Informed consent will be obtained in writing from all the participants in this study. The results of this study will be disseminated through journal articles, as well as presentations at national and international conferences. We will also report our findings to patient and public involvement groups with an interest in improving cancer care, palliative care as well as skin care.

Validation of interventions for risk of impaired skin integrity in adult and aged patients.

OBJECTIVES: to validate nursing interventions for the diagnosis Risk for Impaired Skin Integrity in adult and aged hospitalized patients. METHODS: descriptive, quantitative study, using the content validity of interventions done by 14 specialist nurses. RESULTS: the specialist nurses had worked in the area for more than five years. Four (28.5%) used NANDA-I and CIPE®, three (21.4%) used NANDA-I, NIC and CIPE®, three (21.4%) used NANDA-I, NIC, NOC and CIPE® and four (28.5%) were currently working only with CIPE®. The validation analyzed 32 NIC interventions, of which 11 were priority and 21 were suggested. Of the priority interventions, five belonged to the Physiological/Complex domain, five to the Physiological/Basic domain and one to the Safety Domain. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: nursing interventions are essential for planning and support good practices in teaching, research and care.