NURSING (MANAGING A VENOUS LEG ULCER) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

NURSING (MANAGING A VENOUS LEG ULCER) - Essay Example Between 2004 and 2010, the management of venous leg ulcerations cost the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) an estimated  £400 million per year, most of which was spent on community nursing services (Milic, Bogdanovic & Jovanovic 2010, p. 797). Basing on the budget, the disease calls for evidence-based practice (EBP) in its management and this paper will discuss the effectiveness of compression systems for preventing its recurrence and treatment using three sources of evidence. This article was chosen because the Cochrane Collaboration is a reputable body in the field of organization of systematic medical researches that facilitate proven and evidence-based medical and nursing practice. The cost effectiveness of stockings and bandaging in compression treatment of venous leg ulcers has been covered by a Cochrane review basing on randomised controlled trials (RCTs) with definitive results. Medical literature in the regularly updated Cochrane database opines that most cases of venous leg ulcers are brought about by the improper functioning of the venous valves, although other known contributing factors include obesity, diabetes, immobility, arterial disease and trauma. There is also evidence that persons wearing high-compression hosiery are less likely to have ulcer recurrences than those wearing moderate-compression ones. Venous ulcers can be prevented by using compression stockings on long-term alongside regular exercising, elevating legs when possible and losing weight (Gohel, Barwell & Taylor 2007, p. 83). Venous leg ulcers usually recur after healing and this can be prevented by regularly wearing compression stockings for at least five years after healing. Following the systematic reviews and meta-analyses conducted on 22 trials identified in the Cochrane review, it was consistently shown that the healing of venous leg ulcers is encouraged by compression. It was