Here are resources that can help you in your busy clinical practice by giving you information quickly.
Pressure ulcer resources
Instead of searching through Google or another search engine for pressure ulcer resources, start with this comprehensive list on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website.
Examples of resources included are:
- “Preventing pressure ulcers in hospitals: A toolkit for improving quality of care.” This toolkit from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is designed to help hospitals in implementing pressure ulcer prevention strategies.
- “On-time pressure ulcer healing project.” Another AHRQ initiative, this resource is designed for those working in long-term care facilities.
- “Pressure ulcer prevention.” This table from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement lists possible mentors you can work with in the area of ulcer prevention.
- “Shawnee Medical Center wound care quick reference guide.” This is a handy one-page reference guide that includes photographs and recommendations.
- “How-to guide: Prevent pressure ulcers—pediatric supplement.” This guide, tailored for pediatrics, describes key evidence-based care components for preventing pressure ulcers and describes how to implement these interventions.
You can also access case studies from a variety of facilities around the United States.
http://partnershipforpatients.cms.gov/p4p_resources/tsp-pressureulcers/
toolpressureulcers.html
Lymphedema resources
The National Lymphedema Network is a nonprofit organization founded in 1988 to provide education and other information to healthcare professionals and patients with lymphedema, as well as the general public. The site includes an explanation of lymphedema that may be helpful for you to use in teaching your patients. It also includes access to some of the articles from the newsletter LymphLink.
Diabetes clinical practice guidelines
Many patients with chronic wounds have diabetes. To ensure those patients receive the best possible care, you can refer to the 2013 Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes from the American Diabetes Association, which were published in the January issue of
Diabetes Care.
The journal provides a summary of the revisions and an executive summary of the standards related to each area, including diagnosis, testing, prevention, monitoring, and pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic management.
The guidelines include valuable information related to neuropathy screening and treatment and foot care. Recommendations for foot care include performing an annual comprehensive foot examination to identify risk factors predictive of ulcers and amputations. The foot examination should include inspection, assessment of foot pulses, and testing for loss of protective sensation.
