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The epidemiology of skin care provided by nurses at home: a multicentre prevalence study
Author(s) -
Kottner Jan,
Boronat Xavier,
BlumePeytavi Ulrike,
Lahmann Nils,
Suhr Ralf
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.12517
Subject(s) - medicine , skin care , psychological intervention , nursing , health care , family medicine , long term care , demographics , demography , sociology , economics , economic growth
Aims The aim of this study was to estimate the frequencies and patterns of skin care and applied skin care products in the home care nursing setting in Germany. Background Skin care belongs to the core activities of nursing practice. Especially in aged and long‐term care settings, clients are vulnerable to various skin conditions. Dry skin is one of the most prevalent problems. Using mild skin cleansers and the regular application of moisturizing leave‐on products is recommended. Until today, there are no quantitative empirical data about nursing skin care practice at home in the community. Design A multicentre cross‐sectional study was conducted in July 2012. Methods Home care clients from the German home care nursing setting were randomly selected. Instructed nurse raters performed the data collection using standardized forms. Variables included demographics, skin care needs and skin caring activities. Results Approximately 60% of home care clients received skin care interventions. The majority were washed and two‐thirds received a leave‐on product once daily. There was large heterogeneity in cleansing and skin care product use. Most often the product labels were unknown or product types were selected haphazardly. Conclusion Skin care interventions play a significant role in home care and nurses have a considerable responsibility for skin health. Skin care provided does not meet recent recommendations. The importance of targeted skin cleansing and care might be underestimated. There are a confusing variety of skin care products available and often the labels provide little information regarding the ingredients or guidance about how they affect skin health.