Reflective Essay On Skin Integrity And Personal Care Sample

Introduction

Fundamental nursing responsibilities include maintaining skin integrity and personal care, preventing complications such as pressure ulcers and infections, and promoting patient comfort, dignity, and all-around patient care. This writing follows Driscoll's (2006) reflective model: How? So what?, and Now what?

I was working with an elderly patient with reduced mobility who required personal hygiene and skin assessment support during my clinical placement. As I provided care, I learned to watch for pressure damage early on and had to get the word out to my supervising nurse to avoid exacerbation of the problem. Furthermore, I faced difficulty in preserving patient dignity and communicating effectively in personal care. In this reflection, I will critically examine the importance and need to assess early skin integrity and patient dignity and how to evaluate when to escalate concerns. In keeping with professional standards, all patient details were anonymised. I have received good insights from this experience about patient-centred care and my role in advocating for skin health and wellness.

Reference materials and sample papers are provided to clarify assignment structure and key learning outcomes. Through our Assignment Help UK, guidance is reflected while maintaining originality and ethical academic practice. The Reflective Essay On Skin Integrity And Personal Care Sample demonstrates critical reflection, and evaluation of personal care practices. These materials are provided strictly for academic learning and reference purposes.

What?

While on my clinical placement, I helped an old, less mobile patient with personal hygiene and skin care. The patient could not reposition independently and likely developed some pressure ulcers during prolonged periods in bed (Beriso, Zemene, and Tesfaye, 2024).

During washing and changing positions, I routinely assessed the skin and noticed redness and mild skin breakdown over the sacrum and heels. I knew to be watching for the early presentation of pressure damage, so I told my supervising nurse. She assessed further and put redress in place, including repositioning, pressure relief aids, and barrier creams if necessary. At first, the patient was embarrassed and fearful of personal care and expressed discomfort that he needed help. I then assured them what each step entailed and that my actions would maintain their dignity and autonomy.

This has been an experience that has generated reflection and learning in three key areas.

• The importance of early skin integrity assessment in preventing pressure ulcers
• Maintaining patient dignity and effective communication during personal care
• Recognizing professional boundaries and escalating concerns appropriately

It highlighted the significance of being observant of skin integrity assessments, treating patients with dignity, and working within my scope of practice to improve patient well-being.

So What?

Importance of Early Skin Integrity Assessment in Preventing Pressure Ulcers

• Point: In populating and utilizing default parameters (duration, scale and phasing), skin integrity assessment is particularly vital for those with low mobility, as pressure ulcers and complications from pressure ulcers can be prevented, and the development is tracked (Zaidi and Sharma, 2024).
• Evidence: During my clinical experience, I also noticed redness and early signs of pressure damage on the patient’s sacrum and heels. Immobilisation is known to increase the likelihood of the development of pressure ulcers, and research shows that particularly those who are located in areas exposed to prolonged pressure or moisture are at great risk of developing pressure ulcers (Jaul et al., 2018). If not handled, these ulcers will continue to deepen, and this can cause pain, infection and prolonged hospitalization. There is consensus that early detection, repositioning and use of barrier creams are good ways to prevent further deterioration.
• Explanation: However, before this experience, I did not describe personal care as a clinical assessment task. Yet, I have come to know that it is during personal care when I have a chance to look at the patient’s skin condition, whether he is deficient in specific nutrients or has any early signs of skin degeneration, that permit us to take precautions before the problems occur. Knowing the importance of proactive assessment, I raised my concerns with the supervising nurse and ensured that the patient received immediate intervention. What the nurse found confirmed what I saw, and a revised repositioning schedule and some extra preventative procedures were put into place. This experience has reaffirmed that pressure ulcers develop slowly and there are often no immediate symptoms, and that skin assessments are needed as frequently as possible for early intervention.
• Link: As a result, I am more aware of the role of skin integrity assessment in preventing complications. I will personally perform systematic skin checks and documentary changes and report these to senior staff quickly.

Maintaining Patient Dignity and Effective Communication During Personal Care

• Point: Effective communication is an essential aspect of assisting with personal care. It ensures the patient's dignified well-being and comfort, as it affects emotional betterment (Goldenhart and Nagy, 2022).
• Evidence: The patient initially showed reluctance and embarrassment when he first had to be cared for during the care episode. Personal hygiene is one of the more intimate aspects of care, and that causes patients to feel vulnerable and dependent in emotional distress, Reserve says (Goldenhart and Nagy, 2022). The studies mentioned above show that clear explanations, reassurance, and patient involvement help nurses reduce feelings of embarrassment and promote autonomy.
• Explanation: When I started working with the patient, I sensed the discomfort coming from their body language and verbal hesitation. I was so inspired to change my strategy by doing this that I wrote out each step before starting, kept eye contact, and let them decide how their care was conducted. Instead of finishing the tasks by myself, I invited the patient to participate whenever possible by washing areas they could reach, and I helped with the rest. I also tried to assure them that help is vital to their overall health and did something to allay their initial resistance to it. The patient appeared more at ease, which showed us that communication and empathy have a massive role in patient experience by the end of the care episode (Nembhard et al., 2022).
• Link: This situation only reinforced that physical care is as crucial as maintaining dignity. However, I will always remain flexible in my approach to each individual’s needs while continuing patient-centred communication techniques. I will help improve patient comfort and satisfaction with care and build trust by creating an environment of respect and collaboration.

Recognizing Professional Boundaries and Escalating Concerns Appropriately

• Point: It is essential that nursing practice recognises professional boundaries and understands when to escalate concerns to secure patients’ safety and appropriate medical intervention (Vaismoradi et al., 2020).
• Evidence: I noticed early signs of pressure damage, but I knew I did not have the power to diagnose or prescribe a treatment protocol on my own. Guidelines on nursing accountability instruct that students and junior staff must address clinical problems to senior nurses or other health care providers to guarantee that patients get as fast and proper care as possible (Gradišnik, Fekonja and Vrbnjak, 2024). Failure to report skin integrity issues promptly has been studied as a potentially preventable complication, including the worsening of pressure ulcers and increased patient discomfort.
• Explanation: I made a structured report of what I noticed, including the redness on the patient’s sacrum and heels. Rather than assuming the severity of the damage, I described only the location, size, and extent of the redness to the senior nurse so that they could assess the situation comprehensively. It led to the immediate implementation of preventive measures, lowering the chance of new complications in the patient. This involved something I would recognise as professional accountability – pushing up the chain of command is not about flouting authority; it is to ensure patient care at its best. I also learned that the ability to escalate effectively involves structured communication, given that just putting forward that I had seen redness would not have led to the nurse making an informed decision.
• Link: This experience also reinforced that I could escalate concerns and do what was professional. I shall immediately report any observed problems, employ structured communication techniques like SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), and seek senior nurses’ help. The continued application of these practices will improve patient safety, clinical collaboration, and my development as a responsible, proactive nurse.

Now What?

Enhancing Skin Integrity Assessment

I will be more structured and proactive in skin integrity assessment for future situations. Standardized tools such as the Braden Scale or Waterlow Score will make evaluating the risk of ulcers easier. I will have a personal skin care routine with regular skin checks and be particular to high-risk areas such as the sacrum, heels, and elbows.

To further improve myself, I will get additional training in pressure ulcer prevention and the wound care management. This will help me know small changes in my skin condition, and I will take action to keep things from getting out of hand. Additionally, I will become familiar with the most recent and evidence-based practice on managing pressure ulcer interventions so that I am comfortable assessing and treating them. With these improvements, I will be able to enhance, proactive and effective nursing care and lower the pressure ulcer risk to yield positive outcomes on the patient.

Maintaining Dignity by Improving Patient Communication

Patient dignity during personal care is critical, and while I achieved similar communication changes in this experience, I still need to keep improving. I will take time to fine-tune my ability to listen and provide reassurance by speaking with patients in a patient-centered fashion and encouraging them to take control wherever I can.

Nonverbal communication also improves the patient's comfort. I will pay more attention to a patient’s body language, eye contact, and tone of voice. I will observe experienced nurses during intimate care work, which will lead to the observation of communication techniques I can use in my own practice. Improvements will be made so that patients are treated with respect, valued, and involved in their care with trust and confidence.

Building Confidence in Escalating Concerns

I also realized that talking confidently and is essential when escalating concerns. I correctly reported the early signs of pressure damage in this experience but took a moment to wonder if I had enough knowledge to stand up and point this out. From now on, I will strive to strengthen my clinical judgement through knowledge of how pressure ulcers develop, early interventions, and a multidisciplinary approach to wound care.

Developing a Professional Growth Plan

To continue the learning and improvement journey, I will create a professional development plan that includes practical learning, mentoring from senior nurses and continuing self directed study on skin integrity management. Specific areas for further growth and applying evidence-based practices to improve patient care can be sought out from experienced healthcare professionals.

Following these strategies, I will improve my skin integrity assessment, patient-centred communication, and professional accountability. This will enable me to deliver safe, dignified, and high-quality nursing care, thus contributing positively to patient welfare in all future clinical experiences. Through their application, I will further expand my skill set as a competent, compassionate, proactive nurse and ensure that I provide high quality, safe, and dignified care. This reflection has offered a learning opportunity that will help change my future professional practice to ensure that I can make and continue to do positive contributions to the patient’s well being and overall healthcare outcomes.

Conclusion

Through this reflection on experience with skin integrity assessment and personal care, I now understand nurses' very important and critical role in preventing pressure ulcers, maintaining the patient’s dignity, and escalating concerns. Now through this reflection I was able to see where I need to grow, such as developing my skin assessment techniques, changing my communication skills, and building up my confidence when making a clinical decision.

As I progress in the future, I will also be very proactive with skin integrity management activities to deploy evidence based assessment tools and preventative measures to reduce the risk of pressure related injuries occurring. I will also improve my communication skills in the hope that I will treat patients with empathy and keep sympathy in the center of what is practiced, in such a way that patients will maintain their dignity and trust the nurse. I will also build up my skill in effectively escalating concerns by practicing structured communication methods for timely and appropriate interventions.

References

• Beriso, H.B., Zemene, W. and Tesfaye, E. (2024). Prevalence of pressure ulcers and associated factors among adult patients admitted at Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2023. Scientific Reports, [online] 14(1), p.17290. doi:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-67026-5.
• Goldenhart, A. and Nagy, H. (2022). Assisting Patients With Personal Hygiene. [online] PubMed. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK563155/.
• Gradišnik, M., Fekonja, Z. and Vrbnjak, D. (2024). Nursing students’ handling patient safety incidents during clinical practice: A retrospective qualitative study. Nurse Education Today, [online] 132, p.105993. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2023.105993.
• Jaul, E., Barron, J., Rosenzweig, J.P. and Menczel, J. (2018). An overview of co-morbidities and the development of pressure ulcers among older adults. BMC Geriatrics, 18(1). doi:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-018-0997-7.
• Nembhard, I.M., David, G., Ezzeddine, I., Betts, D. and Radin, J. (2022). A Systematic Review of Research on Empathy in Health Care. Health Services Research, [online] 58(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.14016.
• Vaismoradi, M., Tella, S., Logan, P., Khakurel, J. and Vizcaya-Moreno, F. (2020). Nurses’ Adherence to Patient Safety principles: a Systematic Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, [online] 17(6), pp.1–15. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062028.
• Zaidi, S.R.H. and Sharma, S. (2024). Pressure Ulcer. [online] PubMed. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553107/ [Accessed 11 Mar. 2025].