Skin disease in the long–term care patient is quite common, as aging skin becomes increasingly prone to disease and injury. Often, misdiagnosis and mismanagement can complicate care, and worsen the condition. Here are some of our tips for identifying the severity and magnitude of the skin condition.
One of the most common skin conditions one encounters in clinical settings is the rash. Most often, a rash is the result of the skin's reaction to an offending agent/organism, or to systemic disease. Skin rashes present in a variety of forms, and the following medical terms are used to describe them:
Macule: a flat, distinct, colored area of skin that is not raised.
Papule: a circular, raised area of skin with no visible fluid.
Plaque: a raised, usually irregular, plateau–like lesion that displays white flakes.
Vesicles: a circular, fluid–containing, raised skin lesion.
Pustule: a raised, infected skin lesion containing purulent debris that may be white, yellow, or dark at the head.
In diagnosing skin conditions, it is essential to note both the potential causes and the characteristics of what you observe.
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Skilled Wound Care is a mobile surgical practice committed to transforming the chronic wound care model in nursing facilities. Wound care experts make weekly bedside visits to patients in long-term care facilities, avoiding transfers to hospitals or clinics. Our expert physicians give patients the most up-to-date and effective wound treatments, and educate facility staff on how to help patients continue to heal quickly and effectively between visits. This model of collaborative care allows SWC’s physicians to improve patients’ lives and health outcomes, to empower nursing staff, and to raise public awareness. Skilled Wound Care, along with its nurse and nursing home partners, is working every day to positively transform traditional nursing home wound care.