Pressure Ulcer Pain Management Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pressure Ulcer Pain Management - Dissertation Example Depending on the nature of the pressure ulcer, common treatments include relieving pressure, restoring circulation, and resolution or management of related disorders. However, prevention still remains as the most potent intervention which significantly reduces the chances of undergoing excruciating long-term therapy (Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins 2009). Effective prevention measures include risk identification, pressure reduction, nutritional assessment, bed rest monitoring, and preservation of skin integrity. In cases of existing pressure ulcers, treatment options include: pressure reduction either by repositioning the patient or by using devices such as beds, mattresses, overlays, and cushions; use of topical ointments; wound cleansing; debridement; and use of dressings to promote wound healing (Lippincott, Williams, & Wilkins 2009). The proper assessment of pressure ulcers is crucial in the determining risk of developing pressure ulcers and provision of appropriate interventions. The Braden Scale is used to determine characteristics present in pressure ulcers. This tool evaluates a patient’s condition in terms of: (1) sensory perception; (2) moisture; (3) activity, (4) mobility, (5) nutrition, and (6) friction and shear (Prevention Plus LLC 2009). The Pressure Ulcer Staging System is a tool developed by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to facilitate the assessment of pressure sore characteristics. ... Allen (2011) emphasized the role of pain assessment and treatment as a crucial part of pressure ulcer prevention and management. However, the assessment of patient pain does present some challenges since the sensation of pain is an individual perception. Any indication of pain is considered a valid pain response and patients can experience pain in varying frequency and intensity. In addition, patients may associate pain with movement, infection, or during treatments such as dressing changes and debridement procedures. On the other hand, there may be isolated cases where patients do not report any pain. 1.1. Background of the Study Pain is never ending problem for most patients with pressure ulcers (Caplan 2009; Allen, 2011). Despite advanced improvement in pressure ulcer (PU) care, the condition continues to be a national and international health care problem, resulting in a decreased quality of life, both physically and emotionally, unnecessary suffering, and even death. Research ov er the past decade has largely focused on the assessment and healing of pressure ulcers, for example, the introduction of standardized risk assessment tools, which are used for the prevention, staging and management of PUs. Despite, all of these measures there is still a dearth of research in relation to the prevention and management of pressure ulcer pain. The impetus for this proposed study comes from the researcher’s personal motivation to search and examine recent evidence-based research addressing pressure ulcer pain, including the factors contributing to the pain, the psychological and social impact of continuous pressure ulcer pain, pain at dressing change and

Rising of Oil Prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rising of Oil Prices - Essay Example On the one hand, the western world led by the United States as the world’s largest consumer of energy, has been practicing geo-political policies that would ensure control and supply of this vital natural resource; on the other, the realization of the value of this near monopoly resource by the world’s leading oil producers has upset the supply, demand and price equation in a most significant manner. This conflict of interest has resulted in what we are witnessing today: cartelization of the oil industry, soaring oil prices, weakening the dollar, rising inflation and worst of all, war/threat of further wars in West Asia - the major oil-producing region of the world. At USD 110 per barrel, there are ominous signs of not just in the US but a serious worldwide economic downturn.  In the West Asian region, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, and the Gulf countries are among the world’s largest oil producers. The US, UK, and other European oil corporations were controlling th e oil exploration and refining industry here and setting the price of this vital commodity. The growing economies of the western countries and Japan needed ever-increasing volumes of the oil products, which had to be imported mainly from the Gulf region. The Arab-Israel conflict and the formation of the oil cartel – Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), led to the first oil price shock. In the words of Meyer et al., â€Å"†¦possession of a monopoly resource by OPEC countries †¦a rising tide of nationalist self-awareness, old resentment at exploitation †¦would force renegotiation of the terms on which petroleum was to be made available†¦ The  outbreak of the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and the subsequent oil embargo led to a quadrupling of the oil prices† (Meyer et al., p.6). The days of cheap oil were over once and for all, although the later fluctuations in the prices were generally in tune with the increased availability of non-OPEC s upplies, the occasional breakdown of cartel arrangement, supply/demand situation etc. For example during 1982 – ’83, oil prices fell by 15% (Meyer et al., p.95) due to a decrease in US demand. Disruption of supplies due to the recent militant events in Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, has also impacted oil prices (Shanmugam & Singh). Similarly, Russia’s stranglehold on supplies of oil and gas to east European nations dictates the energy prices.