MDT And Nursing Practice: A Case Study

MDT and Nursing Practice

Medical debridement therapy can be performed by nurses. According to Griffin (2014),

It is vital that nurses fully understand the procedure before they initiate larval therapy, including: Suitable wound types, ethical considerations for the patient undergoing the therapy Contraindications and associated risks of treatment Potential for interaction with other medical products. The techniques required to administer both types of larval therapy are outlined by the manufacturer, with full instructions being included in each delivery of larvae. Nurses should be able to undertake a full wound assessment and construct an effective plan of care — involving the patient — to ensure that all involved have the same expectations

The side effects are mild pain and irritation. Otherwise, the discomfort is noted to be limited. The fact that MDT has such advantages as being a low cost treatment method and faster improvement in wound debridement for certain types of wounds is a bonus in receiving this type of treatment. There appears to be no ethical barriers or considerations with the use of maggot therapy. There is no need for an ethics committee evaluation. However, patient informed consent must be obtained and they must be thoroughly educated about the proposal of MDT and exactly what is involved in this type of therapy. The verbiage in education the potential patient must consist of layman terms. The patient must also be reassured that if they change their mind at any time, MDT can be withdrawn (Jones and Thomas, 2000, p. 50). Furthermore, if it is determined that the patient is unable to understand the procedure, is not competent, or the application of the larvae may be against their religion or cultural beliefs, MDT can be withdrawn. Otherwise, it could become ethically

There are likely many simple ways nature uses to treat disease and other medical conditions that are discarded before they are fully understood. Society funds this kind of science at a minimal level, but maximize the funding of new synthetic drugs and other high tech medical solutions. In financial terms it is more frugal to use maggots to clean wounds, as opposed to the more expensive surgical management. According to Snyder and Hans (2006), “Maggot therapy represents a safe, cost-efficient, and effective alternative to wound debridement in patients who are not candidates for other forms of wound cleansing, or have failed other treatment modalities” (p. 107). In conclusion, there is an influx of scientific information that regards the use of maggots as useful in wound debridement. In these modern times of high tech machinery and the prevalence of surgery for wound management, it is encouraging to see the basics of nature potentially outperform many of the wizardry known as modern medicine. In the application of MDT, it is important that those health care providers stay open to mixing and matching the old with the new forms of medical