Effectiveness of Silicone Foam Dressings in ICU Patients

This discussion board post examines the effectiveness of silicone foam dressings in preventing pressure injuries in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients. The author begins by outlining the PICO components (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) related to the topic and explains the need for evidence review to support the use of these dressings. The post predicts that silicone foam dressings, due to their material properties, would be effective in reducing friction and pressure, thus preventing pressure ulcers. Two peer-reviewed studies are then analyzed, both of which support the efficacy of silicone foam dressings in lowering the incidence of pressure injuries in ICU patients. The author concludes that, based on the available evidence, the use of silicone foam dressings is effective in preventing pressure ulcers in critically ill ICU patients. The studies used randomized control trials and quantitative research methods and provide reliable results. Therefore, patients who receive silicone foam dressings during their ICU admission have a lesser chance of developing pressure injuries compared to those who do not.

Running head: DISCUSSION BOARD
DISCUSSION BOARD ON EFFECTIVENESS OF SILICONE FOAM DRESSINGS
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1DISCUSSION BOARD
The paper aims for discussing whether or not the application of silicone foam dressing
has a higher efficacy while attempting for pressure injuries prevention in the ICU patients. The
paper proceeds with separating the PICO components from the topic and then discusses why the
evidences are required to be reviewed for this topic. After that a prediction of the outcome will
be made. Finally an assessment based on two peer reviewed articles will be made.
Separation of PICO components:
Population (P): The patients admitted in the ICU
Intervention (I): Application of foam dressings made from layered silicone.
Comparison (C): Patients who received the dressings made from silicone foam in comparison to
the patients who did not receive the dressings.
Outcome (O): Lower the instances of pressure injuries.
The Requirement of Evidence Review:
The evidences must be found to support an alternative answer to the question that is
being reviewed in this paper. The efficacy of foam dressings made from silicone in lowering the
pressure injuries in the ICU patients must be established with a few supporting evidences, so an
evidence based practice can be developed, which can be implemented in order to promote a
better patient care.
Prediction of the Clinical Outcome:
Silicone foam dressing is consists of a contact layer made of soft foam, which is
permeable to vapor and is moisture-proof. Pressure injuries or pressure ulcers in the patients
admitted in ICUmainly results from the applied pressure or continuous friction of the skin with
the bedclothes. The application of a dressing with a light material like the silicone foam might be

2DISCUSSION BOARD
effective in preventing those friction with the bedclothes or any application of pressure, which in
turn will protect the patients from developing pressure injuries or ulcers. Hence the patients, who
received the dressings are more likely to be safe from the development of pressure ulcers than
those who did not.
Related Peer Reviewed Posts:
A study was performed by Peggy Kalowes in order to find whether the instances of
acquiring hospital acquired pressure ulcers (HAPU) are lower in the patients, who are critically
illif there is a preventive measure of silicone pressure dressing application is adapted. The study
found the practice really effective in lowering the instances along with it being a cost effective
method (Kalowes, Messina & Li, 2016).
Another study conducted by Santamaria et al., aimed for finding the answer to the same
question. The study focused on both the critically ill and the trauma patients who were admitted
in the ED. They also found the same result which recognized the silicone foam dressings to have
a considerate efficacy level in preventing the pressure ulcers (Santamaria et al., 2015).
Conclusion:
Hence, it can be concluded from all the peer reviewed studies and evidences that the use
of the dressings made of silicone foam is really effective when an attempt for the pressure ulcers
prevention is made in the patients, who are critically ill and admitted in the ICU. Both the study
was a randomized control trial and was quantitative in nature. Both studies involved enough
evidences to support their conclusion. Hence, the results of their studies can be considered
reliable and it can be concluded that the patients who receives the silicone foam dressings during

3DISCUSSION BOARD
their admission in ICU have a lesser chancein developing pressure injuries in comparison to
those patients who do not receive the same.

4DISCUSSION BOARD
References:
Kalowes, P., Messina, V., & Li, M. (2016). Five-layered soft silicone foam dressing to prevent
pressure ulcers in the intensive care unit. American Journal of Critical Care, 25(6), e108-
e119.
Santamaria, N., Gerdtz, M., Sage, S., McCann, J., Freeman, A., Vassiliou, T., ... & Knott, J.
(2015). A randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of soft silicone multi‐layered
foam dressings in the prevention of sacral and heel pressure ulcers in trauma and
critically ill patients: the border trial. International wound journal, 12(3), 302-308.