Clinical Notes: Modified Braden Risk Score, dialysis patients, plantar

November 19, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

Modified Braden risk score proposed

A study in Ostomy Wound Management states the risk classification of patients using Braden Scale scores should comprise three (rather than five) levels: high risk, with a total score ≤11; moderate risk, with a total score of 12 to 16; and mild risk, with a total score ≥17.

The retrospective analysis of consecutively admitted patients at risk for pressure ulcer to an acute-care facility included 2,625 patients, with an age range from 1 month to 98 years; 3.1% developed a pressure ulcer. (more…)

Seeing healthcare from a new perspective

November 19, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By: Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS

As healthcare clinicians, our world is full of tasks to be completed. Some are new, but many are tasks we repeat every day and thus have become routine—things we could almost do in our sleep.

But what’s routine for us may not be routine for our patients. For some patients, these routine tasks of ours may be their first encounter with a healthcare situation. (more…)

Providing skin care for bariatric patients

November 19, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By Gail R. Hebert, MS, RN CWCN, DWC, WCC, OMS

How would you react if you heard a 600-lb patient was being admitted to your unit? Some healthcare professionals would feel anxious—perhaps because they’ve heard bariatric patients are challenging to care for, or they feel unprepared to provide their care. (more…)

Role of the ostomy specialist clinician in ileal pouch anal anastomosis surgery

November 19, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By Leanne Richbourg, MSN, RN, APRN-BC, CWON-AP, CCCN, GCNS-BC

Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the gold standard for surgical treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC) or familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). It’s also done to treat colon and rectal cancers, such as those caused by Lynch syndrome (LS). IPAA allows the patient to maintain fecal continence and evacuate stool from the anus after colon and rectum removal. A temporary ileostomy may be part of the overall process, but there’s no need for a permanent stoma. (See Understanding ulcerative colitis, FAP, and Lynch syndrome.) (more…)

Clinician Resources: falls, npuap, patient safety, civility

November 19, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

End your year by checking out these resources for your practice.

Sentinel event alert for falls

As part of its sentinel event alert “Preventing falls and fall-related injuries in health care facilities,” The Joint Commission has assembled information and multiple resources, including:

analysis of contributing factors for falls
evidence-based suggestions for improvement
Joint Commission requirements relevant to falls
links to toolkits and protocols
an infographic on preventing falls.

(more…)

Is your therapy department on board with your wound care team?

November 19, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By Cheryl Robillard, PT, WCC, CLT, DWC

Patients in your clinical practice who develop wounds should prompt a call for “all hands on deck” to manage the situation, but some personnel may be missing the boat. Physical therapists (PTs), occupational therapists (OTs), and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) should be on board your wound care ship so patients can receive care they need. But unfortunately, sometimes they aren’t. (more…)

“Best of the Best” three-peat

September 17, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By: Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS

What do the Los Angeles Lakers, Green Bay Packers, Montreal Canadiens, and New York Yankees have in common? All three have “three-peated”, meaning they have won three consecutive championships. This year, we at Wound Care Advisor, the official journal of the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy (NAWCO), mark our own three-peat—our third annual “Best of the Best” issue. (more…)

Clinical Notes

September 17, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

Mild compression diabetic socks safe and effective for lower extremity edema

Diabetic socks with mild compression can reduce lower extremity edema in patients with diabetes without adversely affecting arterial circulation, according to a randomized control trial presented at the American Diabetes Association 75th Scientific Sessions Conference. (more…)

A collaborative approach to wound care and lymphedema therapy: Part 2

July 27, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By Erin Fazzari, MPT, CLT, CWS, DWC

Have you seen legs like these in your practice?

These legs show lymphedema and chronic wounds before treatment (left image) and after treatment (right image) with complex decongestive therapy (CDT)—the gold standard of lymphedema care. The patient benefited from multidisciplinary collaboration between wound care and lymphedema therapists. (more…)

Immobility as the root cause of pressure ulcers

July 27, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By Jeri Lundgren, BSN, RN, PHN, CWS, CWCN

Many factors can contribute to the formation of a pressure ulcer, but it’s rare that one develops in an active, mobile patient. As the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel 2014 guidelines state, “Pressure ulcers cannot form without loading, or pressure on the tissue. Extended periods of lying or sitting on a particular body part and failure to redistribute the pressure can lead to ischemia and therefore tissue damage.” Thus, immobility is frequently the root cause of pressure ulcer development. (more…)

Preventing pressure ulcers in pediatric patients

July 27, 2015February 25, 2020 Wound Care Advisor

By Roxana Reyna, BSN, RNC-NIC, WCC, CWOCN

As wound care clinicians, we are trained—and expected—to help heal wounds in patients of any age and to achieve positive outcomes. Basic wound-healing principles apply to all patients, whatever their age or size. The specific anatomy and physiology of vulnerable pediatric patients, however, requires detailed wound care. Unfortunately, little evidence-based research exists to support and direct the care of pediatric patients with pressure ulcers. This article describes efforts to reduce pressure ulcers in pediatric patients at Driscoll Children’s Hospital (DCH) in Corpus Christi, Texas. (more…)

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