A Gap in Research-Nursing Paper Examples

Pressure ulcers are a worldwide healthcare problem associated with poor quality care and reduced health outcomes among inpatients or elderly populations with motor and physical limitations. Pressure injuries mainly occur in patients confined in bed for a long time. The skin and underlying tissues or weight-bearing body parts such as the heel, elbow, back of the head, and sacral region are subjected to constant pressure, maximum period of tissue ischemia, and cessation in oxygen and nutrition supply, thus necrosis (Gap in Research).

Mondragon and Zito (2021) assert that pressure injuries affect about 1 to 3 million Americans. However, the incidences vary in different care settings. Furthermore, Mondragon and Zito claim that the prevalence of hospitalized patients of inpatients is about 5-15%, with an even higher prevalence in the ICU and long-term care facilities. Therefore, nursing care to identify the causes and intervention strategies is crucial to remedy the situation.

Research Gap Topic

Increased prevalence of pressure ulcers among patients in the ICU

Hypothesis (Gap in Research)

The research hypothesizes that using the Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle decreases the incidence of pressure ulcers in the ICU.

Research Question

Does the Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle decrease the incidence of pressure ulcers in the ICU?

Target Population and Variable Definition

The target population for my research will be ICU patients. Patients in the ICU are highly predisposed to pressure injuries since they have critical illnesses that expose them to prolonged bed rest and immobilization. Additionally, loss of functional ability, physical limitations, and immobility significantly increase the risks for pressure/bedsores. The research setting will be the ICU (A Gap in Research).

My research will measure if using Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle will decrease pressure ulcers among patients. Thus, the independent variable is the Pressure Injury Prevention Bundle since I can control how to administer it or compare it to other pressure sore prevention strategies. Incidences and the number of patients with pressure sores in the ICU are dependent variables that change from controlling the independent variables (Gap in Research).