Quality Improvement Project 2022

Running head: QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 1
Quality improvement project
Name of Student
Name of Institution
Author note

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 2
Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................3
Background....................................................................................................................................3
Baseline measurement...................................................................................................................7
Ethics...............................................................................................................................................8
Design..............................................................................................................................................8
Strategy Limitations and strengths..............................................................................................8
Lessons and limitation...................................................................................................................9
Conclusion......................................................................................................................................9
References......................................................................................................................................11

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 3
Quality Improvement Project
Introduction
The frequency of pressure injuries in patients is often used as a measure of patient care
quality. Pressure injuries are injuries that occur on soft tissues when they are compressed by a
bony or hard structure. They are caused by friction or long-term pressure. Pressure injuries are
common in patients who are bedridden and patients who are immobilized. The National Safety
and Quality Healthcare Service (NHQHS) has provided a clinical governance standard to help
decrease the total figure of patients in hospital who get pressure injuries
(Safetyandquality.gov.au., 2012).
The goal of this project is to determine the causative factors and help prevent patients
from acquiring pressure injuries during their stay in hospital. Currently, the total sum of patients
who are diagnosed with patient injuries is very high. Determining the causative factors will in
developing strategies that will prevent pressure injuries and improve the overall patient care
quality
Background
Pressure injuries are described as a localized damage to the soft tissue. The injury could
be presented as an open ulcer or an intact skin injury. Tissue have a certain tolerance to pressure.
The skin acts a s a cushion and protects the skeleton during a shift in pressure. Prolonged
exposure to pressure reduces the tissue tolerance. Pressure ulcers are usually very pain and
uncomfortable. Pressure wounds are often confused by Moisture Associated skin Damage
(MASD), frictional burns, Medical Adhesive Related Skin Injury (MARSI), Intertriginous
Dermatitis (ITD) and Incontinence Associated Dermatitis (IAD). Localized soft tissue that are
exposed to pressure for a prolonged duration result in the occlusion of blood flow. Nutrients and

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 4
oxygen fail to reach the surrounding tissues and ischemia occurs. Re perfusion injury follows
and the cell undergoes obliteration and eventually necrosis occurs.
There are various threats and the key risk factor is immobility. Patients who hardly move
from their bed or their wheelchair have a high probability of forming pressure injuries. Children
who ae younger than the age of 36 moths usually have a head that is larger in comparison to the
rest of the body. Such children have a higher probability of acquiring a pressure injury in the
occipital region if the lie for long durations. Prolonged stay in an operating theater, mechanical
ventilation, intensive care unit, or in a non-invasive ventilation machine increase the chance of
forming a localized damage to the soft tissues.
Malnutrition is also a causative factor, especially in African countries like Botswana and
Zimbabwe. It is important to assess the patient’s dietary needs. A lower body mass intake
increases the probability of the development of pressure injuries. Individuals who are
underweight have a low muscle to bone ratio and the bones may exert unwanted pressure on the
soft tissue. Patients who are also overweight have a high probability of developing this condition.
Patients who are overweight are prone to experiencing friction between the various organs
especially in the limbs and at the joints. Patient who experience rapid weight loss either due to a
diet or a medical condition such as diuresis, are also at risk of acquiring a pressure injury.
Another threat is sensory loss. Patients who suffer from neurological diseases like spinal
cord injuries, delirium, dementia and neuropathy have a higher probability of forming pressure
injuries. Loss of the sensory neurons inhibit the patient form feeling pain. Most patients with
neurological diseases, are not aware that that they have pressure injuries until they develop into
stage 3 or four. Routine check ups are recommended for these patients to detect pressure injuries