WOUND CARE CLINICAL NURSING PRACTICE

Wound Care Clinical Nursing Practice

Wound Care Clinical Nursing Practice

Introduction

Wound care management is becoming more complex for nurses due to new insights into wound healing and because of the wide variety of wound dressings that are available. Erwin-Toth and Hocevar stated that there were approximately 400 brands of wound care dressings on the market to choose from and that wound care is made even more difficult because no one dressing method suits all wounds and the choice is dependent on the cause of the wound, infection, favourability and cost. Because of these many different wound care techniques and dressings, nurses are becoming confused and nonplussed regarding wound care practice. Unfortunately, (Bellman 2006:129)Millers research showed that in 85% of cases nurses were using inappropriate dressings, and O'Connor found in her study on wound care that nurses were having difficulty in applying their theory and knowledge to their practice. (Bellman 2006:129) From initial assessment and evaluation to prevention and management this area intrigued the author and for this reason he will attempt to give a brief overview, focusing on the underpinning research, of this significant area of nursing practice.

Discussion

Lung Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the lungs. Lung cancer often spreads through the bloodstream or lymphatic system to other tissues. There are about 157,000 people that die from lung cancer each year. (Erwin, Hacevar 2005:46)There are four types of lung cancer, which are likely to come up in different parts of the lung. Each type differs in behavior and characteristics. Adenocarcinomas, Squamous cell carcinoma, Small-cell carcinoma, and large-cell carcinomas are the types of lung cancer. Adenocarcinomas is a lung cancer that is created on the outer ends of the lungs and under the inside layer of the bronchial tubes. Squamous cell carcinoma is a lung cancer that begins toward the central part of the lung in the bronchial tubes. Small cell carcinoma is a lung cancer that spreads more quickly and it is characterized by small cells. (Birkett 2005:190)Large cell carcinoma is a lung cancer that begins along the outer edges of the lung and it is characterized by large abnormal cells. There are different effects on lung cancer.

Smoking is the biggest factor in developing lung cancer. Smoking in men has decreased by fifty percent since the 1960s; smoking in women had only decreased by twenty percent. But still people smoke, ignoring the risks of getting lung cancer. There are most cases of lung cancer then any other type of cancer. Female smoker outnumber male smoker 9 to1, so for every man smoking there are 9 women. Lung cancer now affects smokers who have stopped smoking and people who still smoke equally. (Findlay 2004:824)

The symptoms of lung cancer are not usually visible when the disease just begins. The first symptom is breathing problems, like coughing. Some other symptoms are chest pain, shortness of breath, hoarseness, coughing up fluids. Blood tests and X-rays could be used to determine if a person has lung ...