Using Knowledge and Evidence Based Practice

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“Hydrocephalus” and the use of shunt for treatment is the focus of case study given. Infection control when placing a foreign body in a patient in surgical procedures is the focus of this essay. There a lot of challenges unique to every area when controlling infection. Areas like the patients’ transfers between wards and teams, the medical care environment etc. Effective adaptation to these various challenges and support to the prevention of the spread of infection is vital to controlling it. These days the most common complication by far that is affecting hospitalized patients are Nosocomial, or hospital-acquired infections (health care-associated infection). The second-largest category of adverse events found by Harvard Medical Practice Study II was a single type of nosocomial infection which is known as surgical-wound infection. (Reference).This assignment will try and explore to make use of search engines to find and acquire the correct information on the topic being addressed.

What is evidence based practice? Why evidence based practice important in today’s world? These are the two questions that arise most frequently. Sackett(1996) put it this way, “Evidence Based Medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individuals patients". Hammer & Collinson (2000) also states “evidence based practice is about finding, approaching and applying scientific evidence to the treatment and management of healthcare”. Answering the second question; “evidence based medicine will not only play a major part in the treatment patients are given, but will also give physicians the chance to apply medical treatments for the individual, catering for their specific needs and requirements. There is also the small matter of evidence based medicine playing a part in the guiding principles and procedures that medical organisations use.”

There are many surgical procedures in which they place a foreign body, i.e. shunt, chest drain, stent etc. Even though all aseptic procedures are followed prior to the operation, the patients are still prone to get infections due to immunocompromised or bacteria present on skin. Definitive risks of bacterial and fungal infections are associated with medical devices. Foreign body-related infections (FBRIs), particularly catheter-related infections, significantly contribute to the increasing problem of nosocomial infections. The most important feature of the micro-organism’s pathogenicity is their ability to adhere to materials and promote formation of a biofilm (Von EIFF et al 2005). Using the above mentioned method of research (i.e., using search engines to gather the required information); I found following articles based on the question that’s being referred to.

A case study from 2007, a rare case is presented of a 53-year-old woman, who suffered a severe subarachnoidal haemorrhage. Adequate treatment did not exist before the valve-regulated shunt was developed in the early 1950s. As CSF shunts are actually quite complicated devices, complications do occur. After infection of the first shunting system, the patient underwent an exchange of the system. Yet showed signs of infection which failed to recover despite several antibiotic treatments. The recurrent septic fever was due to embolization of a severed tube of a ventriculo-atrial shunt into the heart in this reported case is a rare infectious. The infection that involves the shunt itself, occur at the site is also frequently acquired at the time of insertion. Infections are usually caused by a less virulent organism and significant signs of inflammation are often not present.

A review article from a neurosurgery journal was written by Allen G (2008) about antimicrobial suture. CSF cerebrospinal fluids shunt system which happens to be a widespread efficient potion for management of paediatric hydrocephalus. The risk of shunt infection greatly increases morbidity...
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