| Series |
ECU School of Nursing thesis
ECU School of Nursing thesis. UNAUTHORIZED
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| Summary |
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of occlusive dressing use on bacterial growth with excoriated skin and the surrounding intact skin of premature infants. A sample of eight premature infants meeting the entry criteria for the study were treated with Opsite Flexigrid dressings on their excoriated areas. Two infants were treated twice giving a total sample of ten. The following Hypotheses were proposed: {1} There would be no significant difference in bacterial concentration on excoriated skin before and after Opsite dressing placement; {2} There would be no significant difference in bacterial concentration on intact skin before and after dressing placement; {3} There would be no significant difference in bacterial concentration between intact and excoriated skin underneath the dressing; {4} There would be no significant difference in the bacterial concentration between intact skin underneath the dressing and intact skin outside the dressing. Additional aims included describing the characteristics of excoriations and evaluating wound healing. An Analysis of Variance using ranked data demonstrated a significant increase in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and the total bacterial count over time in both intact and excoriated skin. Therefore null hypothesis 1 and null hypothesis 2 were rejected. There was no significant difference in coagulase-negative Staphylococcus or the total bacterial count between intact skin underneath the dressing and the control site therefore accepting hypothesis 4. Hypothesis 3 was partially rejected, there was a statistical difference in bacterial concentration between intact and excoriated skin post-dressing placement, healed completely after the four days of dressing placement. Four of the wounds The mean area of all excoriations before treatment was .401 cm2 in comparison to the mean area of all excoriations posttreatment which was .129 cm2. The Opsite dressing proved to be very beneficial as a treatment modality for premature infant skin breakdown. Further research is needed in the treatment of excoriations in premature infants with occlusive dressings. This study should be replicated over a longer period of time with an increased sample size. |
| General note | Submitted to the faculty of the School of Nursing. |
| General note | Advisor: Iona Poston |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 1993 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 42-43). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
