Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research Paper

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Research Paper Example During these prolonged incidents of best rest, elderly adults incur an increased risk for pressure ulcers. Other chronic conditions also present a similar risk of prolonged bed rest including osteoarthritis and cancer. This issue is being reviewed because pressure ulcers are preventable conditions, especially if the adequate nursing management remedies are in place. There are, however, factors or issues which impact on the management of pressure ulcers. This review now, therefore, seeks to evaluate the effective management of pressure ulcers among elderly patients with chronic diseases. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2011), about 160,000 nursing home residents have had pressure ulcers, with Stage 2 pressure ulcer being the most common affliction. Residents who were more than 64 years of age were also likely to suffer from this issue and those who have had shorter hospital stays (one year or less) were also more likely to suffer from pressure ulcers, as c ompared to those who have stayed in nursing homes for longer durations (CDC, 2011). About one in five of these elderly patients with pressure ulcers have gone through weight loss and about 30% of these residents had to receive special wound care services for their health issue. In general, pressure ulcers are attributed to unrelieved pressure on the skin and often develop over bony protrusions. They are also serious medical issues and a common issue encountered among patients in nursing homes. About 2-28% of nursing home elderly patients are suffering from pressure ulcers and these ulcers are graded from stage 1 to stage 4 depending on the range of skin breakage seen on the ulcers. In about 1.5 million nursing home patients, 160,000 have been diagnosed with pressure ulcers at one point during their residence.