Resources

In each issue we investigate a hot topic currently affecting you and your community practice.

A chronic leg ulcer is defined as a defect in the skin below the knee that has persisted for more than two weeks and shows no sign of healing after three or more months (NHS, 2019). Lower limb and leg ulcer management presents a number of global health challenges in terms of nursing resources, wound care dressings and high recurrence rates. Also, the persistence and recurrence of lower limb conditions can lead to physical and emotional distress for individuals and their families, contributing to depression, lack of esteem, self-neglect, social isolation and loss of income.

The nutritional consequences of Covid-19 are not yet fully understood, but knowledge from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) suggests that patients are likely to experience skeletal muscle dysfunction, which can persist for weeks to years (Files et al, 2015) and impede return to pre-illness status. Many of the signs and symptoms noted to frequently persist after acute Covid infection, such as breathlessness, fatigue, loss of smell and taste and inflammation, can impact oral intake and potentially worsen nutritional status (Arnold et al, 2020; Carfi et al, 2020; Doykov et al, 2020; Mandal et al, 2020; Sudre et al, 2020).

The last 12 months have highlighted the vital contribution that nurses have made in treating and caring for patients across the globe during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the same time, clinical research has been placed in the spotlight, as breakthroughs in treatments for, and protection against, Covid-19 have only been made possible due to pioneering and innovative clinical research trials. This dual focus on nurses and clinical research creates a real opportunity to highlight the research that nurses are undertaking within their own areas of clinical practice to raise the profile of research within the nursing profession.

Prolonged or continuous exposure to moisture can disrupt the skin’s barrier properties and is known as moisture-associated skin damage (MASD) (Young, 2017). It can cause pain and discomfort to patients and significantly reduce their quality of life (Young, 2017). There are four distinct conditions that fall under the umbrella of MASD: incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD), periwound and peristomal moistureassociated dermatitis and intertriginous dermatitis (Parnham et al, 2020).