Research Health Promotion And Maintenance Of Health

Health Promotion and Maintenance of Health
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Introduction
Nurses play a significant role in health promotion and health maintenance practice through early detection of healthcare problems and implementing strategies to promote good health (NCLEX-RN Test Plan, 2016). Accordingly, minimizing the high rates of surgical site infections among diabetic patients requires appropriate care approaches that involve early detection using a multi-disciplinary process. Nurses play a crucial role during the recovery process, more so within the first weeks after surgery. Nurses need to work with other health care professionals in a multidisciplinary team (Gomes et al., 2014).
To reduce SSI incidences among diabetic patients, a comprehensive program should be initiated that involves standardized care practices starting from the admission process up to the time of discharge. A surgical care team needs to be established to analyze existing gaps and develop an appropriate action plan for the identified areas of improvement. A team –based approach is the best care approach because it will utilize existing skills through teamwork tapping on individual strengths and skills (Shah et al., 2014).

Description of the problem
The rates of hospital –acquired infection have greatly reduced. However, the number of patients acquiring surgical site infection is still high. Approximately 127,880 surgical site infections occur among diabetic patients. Surgical site infection is the leading cause of a high mortality rate among hospitalized patients, especially after surgery (Ovaska et al., 2013).
Numerous factors contribute to increased risk of surgical patients acquiring surgical site infection. Some factors are procedural-related like lack of standard protocols for diabetic patients and reduced levels of supervision among other factors. The most important period after surgery is when patients are being discharged from hospital (Ovaska et al., 2013). Most patients are at a higher risk of acquiring infection because of reduced levels of supervision and lack of knowledge on how to manage wounds after surgery. Inadequate discharge procedures contribute to post –operative complication like surgical site infections. Patients with diabetes are at a higher risk of acquiring infection due to the nature of the disease. Managing SSI among diabetic patient can be challenging, particularly when no standard protocols for surgical patients are in place (Ovaska et al., 2013).
Procedure-related factors combined with several complications experienced by these patients make diabetic patients more susceptible to infections more so after surgery compared to non-diabetic patients. Diabetic patients are known to develop poor wound healing process when they acquire an infection (Wukich et al., 2014). Treating diabetic patients with surgical site infections have posed as a challenge to a health care professional. Lower extremity infection experienced by diabetic patient's results in 80 percent of limb loss due to amputation (Wukich et al., 2014).
The mortality rate associated with diabetes for those who have undergone lower extremity amputation is higher compared to non-diabetic patients. Research studies re...