The holistic nursing care of patients with chronic venous leg ulcers

Herbert, Sophie 2012. The holistic nursing care of patients with chronic venous leg ulcers. [Taught Course Thesis]. Bachelor, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

Venous leg ulcers are extremely common in nursing practice, with over 70,000 individuals suffering from them. With an increase of age in the population this figure is thought to continuously rise. They are known to cause great psychological and social problems, resulting in patients becoming depressed and socially isolated. Therefore, the aim of this dissertation was to holistically establish the effects on the patients suffering from chronic venous leg ulcers. The literature review identified that nurses were lacking in knowledge and skills when it came to wound care. This resulted in patients losing trust with nurses and becoming non-adherent to treatment. Therefore, the need for education was in evidence for both patients and nurses, in order to develop a clear understanding surrounding the care of venous leg ulcers. It was also recognised that negative psycho-social factors have an influence on delayed healing times. Thus, the need for an assessment tool relating to pain and depression levels, specifically associated with venous leg ulcers was also identified. The implementation of educational programmes was introduced in the application to practice, identifying the benefits to both patients and nurses. This was found to encourage the patient’s adherence to treatment and therefore increase healing rates. A recommendation was made in order to produce an assessment tool which identifies pain and depression levels for patients with leg ulcers. This would encourage earlier interventions and appropriate patient centred care, being beneficial to patients’, nurses and to the NHS itself with the hope in reducing wound care costs.

Item Type:	Taught Course Thesis
Schools:	Healthcare Sciences
Subjects:	R Medicine > RT Nursing
Additional Information:	This dissertation is only available to Cardiff University staff and students.
Last Modified:	19 Mar 2016 23:16
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/45434

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