Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Ruth Bryant.
One of the most basic needs of patients is to maintain intact, healthy, moisturized skin. Intact skin is the body's first line of defense against the invasion of microorganisms, provides a protective barrier from numerous environmental threats, and facilitates retention of moisture. Unfortunately, many routine patient-care activities may have a detrimental effect on the skin and consequently, they may develop into significant problems.
How do you make decisions about which treatment to use when you have a patient with an eschar-covered pressure ulcer on the sacrum or a patient with diabetes who develops an ulceration on the metatarsal head? For years, health care professionals relied on past experience, the experience of colleagues, or new product sales literature. In today's cost-conscious, outcomes-driven health care environment, however, approaches such as clinical reasoning are often not enough and, in fact, are often unacceptable. But why is that?