Experiences of nurses in care of diabetic foot ulcers among the older persons.

Abstract

Background; Diabetic foot ulcer is a severe and chronic complication that results due to neurological disorders and vascular diseases in the different parts of the body which leads to the formation of lesions in deep tissues. Foot ulceration in diabetic patients is the most common complication which leads to amputation of limbs and the ulceration can recur after treatment. It is estimated that 15 to 25 percent of people with diabetes are more likely to develop diabetic foot ulcers. Diabetic foot ulcer remains a major challenge as it results in most non-traumatic limb amputations leading to disabilities which poses a challenge to the social, physical, and economic states. Aim and purpose; To establish the experiences of nurses in the care of diabetic foot ulcer older patients. The research's purpose is to assess ways in which nurses could provide better-quality care for older patients with diabetic foot ulcers Methods; This is literature review research articles were identified from CINAHL and Medline databases. Critical appraisal was done for article selection and analysis of data was conducted using content analysis method Results; Experiences of nurses in care of diabetic foot ulcer among the older persons was categorized into three main categories. The first was skills and competences where nurses with many years of experience had more knowledge in the management of diabetic foot ulcer. The second category was multi professional teams where nurses appreciated the role of other professionals in care of diabetic foot ulcer since it also promoted sharing of knowledge. The final main category was external factors where personal issues or situations outside the working environment affected how nurses took care of patients. Conclusion; Diabetic foot ulcer has been a burden globally; more research should be done pertaining to nurses’ experiences in care of diabetic foot ulcer among the elderly. Furthermore, nurses should be provided with enough resources to help them improve their skills and competence in delivery of care among the elderly. Also, cooperation among the multi professional teams had a great positive impact and developed knowledge and experiences among health care professionals which improves quality of diabetic foot ulcer care.