Introducing a new skin-care regimen for the incontinent patient

Recommendations for managing cutaneous disorders associated with advancing age

The increasingly aged population worldwide means more people are living with chronic diseases, reduced autonomy, and taking various medications. Health professionals should take these into consideration when managing dermatological problems in elderly patients. Accordingly, current research is investigating the dermatological problems associated with the loss of cutaneous function with age. As cell renewal slows, the physical and chemical barrier function declines, cutaneous permeability increases, and the skin becomes increasingly vulnerable to external factors. In geriatric dermatology, the consequences of cutaneous aging lead to xerosis, skin folding, moisture-associated skin damage, and impaired wound healing. These problems pose significant challenges for both the elderly and their carers. Most often, nurses manage skin care in the elderly. However, until recently, little attention has been paid to developing appropriate, evidence-based, skincare protocols. The objective of this paper is to highlight common clinical problems with aging skin and provide some appropriate advice on cosmetic protocols for managing them. A review of the literature from 2004 to 2014 using PubMed was performed by a working group of six European dermatologists with clinical and research experience in dermatology. Basic topical therapy can restore and protect skin barrier function, which relieves problems associated with xerosis, prevents aggravating moisture-associated skin damage, and enhances quality of life. In conclusion, the authors provide physicians with practical recommendations to assist them in implementing basic skin care for the elderly in an integrated care approach.

Povezave med razjedo zaradi pritiska in ohranjanjem integritete kože pacienta v intenzivni zdravstveni obravnavi: pregled literature

Uvod: Namen raziskave je prikazati večdimenzionalne potrebe in možne dejavnike tveganja za razjedo zaradi pritiska pri odraslih pacientih v intenzivni zdravstveni obravnavi. Metode: Uporabili smo analizo in sintezo pregleda dokazov iz zbirke podatkov EMERALD, CINAHL, PubMed in ProQuest. Ključne iskalne besedne zveze so bile: »quality of care«, »pressure ulcer«, »prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers«, »skin integrity critical care patients«. Omejitveni kriteriji iskanja so bili: obdobje 2010 do 2013, celotno besedilo člankov v angleščini. Začetna merila je izpolnjevalo 280 zadetkov in 40 izbranih ustreznih prispevkov. Potek raziskave je prikazan v skladu z načeli Cochranove zbirke, ocena kakovosti dokazov pa v hierarhiji dokazov. Rezultati: Identificiranih je 191 kod, ki so združene v 11 vsebinskih kategorij: okolje intenzivne terapije – značilnosti nekaterih dejavnikov tveganja, čas bivanja v enoti, vazoaktivne učinkovine, spol, starost, administrativno diagnostična kategorija, postelja, ležišče, lestvica Waterlow, razjeda zaradi pritiska in pomen prve stopnje razjede. Diskusija in zaključek: Raziskava pokaže pomen uvedbe proaktivnih ukrepov za ohranjanje integritete kože pacienta. Osredotoča se na vitalnost tkiva in promocijo kakovostne zdravstvene oskrbe z vidika teorije. Potrebne so raziskave, ki bi za boljše razumevanje pojasnjevale številna druga tveganja in učinkovite programe za vitalnost kože.