Diagnosing and Treating Skin Wounds

Assignment 1: Application – Diagnosing and Treating Skin Wounds

Skin wounds are sometimes challenging for health care providers to diagnose and treat as many have similar presentations. For advanced practice nurses, being able to identify various types of skin wounds, including whether a wound is a colonization or an infection, is critical because it impacts recommended patient care. In your role, you must be able to evaluate skin wounds, determine the diagnosis, and develop an appropriate treatment and management plan according to current evidence-based guidelines.

To prepare:

• Review Chapter 45 of the Flaherty and Resnick text, as well as the Burr article in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Consider how to properly diagnose skin wounds in frail elders, including how to distinguish between a colonization and infection.
• Select a type of skin wound, such as bumps, bruises, shingles, herpes, bullous pemphigoid, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, etc. Research the guidelines for treatment of the skin wound you selected. Reflect on how you would treat and/or dress this wound.
• Think about factors that might contribute to the development of the skin wound you selected. Consider strategies for the prevention and improvement of this type of wound.

To complete:

Write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:

• Explain how to properly diagnose skin wounds in frail elders, including how to distinguish between a colonization and infection.
• Describe the type of skin wound you selected.
• Explain how you would treat and/or dress this wound based on guidelines for treatment.
• Explain factors that might contribute to the development of the skin wound you selected. Include strategies for the prevention and improvement of this type of wound.