title: Skin problems beneath the breasts of in-patients: the knowledge, opinions and practice of nurses.
abstract: A survey of knowledge and nursing practice in relation to sub-mammary skin problems was conducted among ward sisters and primary nurses in one district health authority. Respondents identified a number of characteristics as predisposing factors, with obesity and poor hygiene being mentioned most frequently. A very wide selection of nursing interventions was recommended, with nurses who mentioned pharmacologically active topical preparations reporting a significantly greater number of recurrences among patients than those who relied on less sophisticated regimes. Nurses expressed a variety of opinions about the effect that this condition has on patients, ranging from no effect at all to pain and discomfort. These findings highlight the lack of a coherent strategy for treating this problem and support the continuation of a research programme examining sub-mammary skin problems and the nursing response to them.
authors.affiliation: Horton General Hospital, Banbury, Oxfordshire, England.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buckeldee
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001940:Breast; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007402:Intertrigo / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015399:Nursing Research; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards*; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires