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Practical Issues in Wound, Skin and Ostomy Management
Nurses and therapists often wonder if their license permits them to perform sharp wound debridement. Scope of practice varies significantly from state to state, so it’s imperative to check your state for specific guidance, but we can address some of the challenges clinicians face in deciding whether they can perform this valuable service for patients.
A study in JAMA Dermatology reports that frequent debridements speed wound healing.
“The more frequent the debridement, the better the healing outcome,” concludes “Frequency of debridements and time to heal: A retrospective cohort study of 312 744 wounds.” The median number of debridements was two.
Most of the wounds in the 154,644 patients were diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure ulcers. The study authors note that debridement is a “key process” in wound bed preparation and starting the healing process.
The findings are congruent with previous studies and are based on an analysis of the largest wound data set to date. (more…)
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At one time or another, all wound care professionals encounter a chronic wound, defined as a wound that fails to heal in an orderly and timely manner. Globally, about 67 million people (1% to 5% of the world’s population) suffer chronic wounds. In the United States, chronic wounds affect 6.5 million people and cost more than $25 billion annually to treat. (more…)
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Antibiotic overuse contributes to the problems of antibiotic resistance and healthcare acquired infections, such as Clostridium difficile. Antibiotic stewardship programs improve patient outcomes, reduce antimicrobial resistance, and save money. These programs are designed to ensure patients receive the right antibiotic, at the right dose, at the right time, and for the right duration. (more…)
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One of the most amazing things about the human body is its ability to repair itself. Lacerations, punctures, abrasions all heal with little or no care. Chronic wounds, those that persist day after day, are a small subset of wounds but they compose a troublesome minority. They include, but are not limited to, diabetic foot ulcers (DFU), venous leg ulcers (VLU), and pressure ulcers (colloquially known as bedsores). These represent the body’s failure to fix itself. (more…)
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A 39-year-old woman presents to the ED with leg pain and fever. She initially noted redness and pain above her knee 2 weeks ago and was evaluated at an outside hospital. She completed a 10-day course of oral antibiotics for cellulitis. Over the last two days, she has had progressive leg swelling of her entire right thigh. The pain is now so severe that she is having difficulty walking. Her past medical history is negative for diabetes mellitus, chronic liver disease, or alcohol and IV drug use.
On exam, she is febrile to 102.7 F, heart rate is 96 bpm, and blood pressure is 112/65. She has a 12 cm area of faint erythema on her right thigh and tenderness to palpation of her entire right leg with diffuse edema. There is no ecchymosis or bullae formation. (more…)
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MIDDLETOWNThe Wound Care Center and Hyperbaric Services at Atrium Medical Center recently was recognized with a national award for clinical excellence.
The Center of Distinction Award was presented by Healogics, the nation’s leading and largest wound care management company. The center was also honored with the Healogics President’s Circle Award.
The awards recognize outstanding clinical outcomes for 12 consecutive months, including patient satisfaction higher than 92 percent, and a wound healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 31 median days. (more…)
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Laughlin Center for Wound Care and Hyperbarics has been honored as the Wound Care Center of the Year as well as recognized with a national award for continued excellence in wound healing by Healogics Inc., a wound care management company.
Leaders, physicians and clinicians from Laughlin Center for Wound Care and Hyperbarics recently gathered to celebrate the center’s receipt of the Robert A. Warriner III Center of Excellence award, according to a news release.
One of many dreaded tags from a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Survey is F-Tag 314 — Pressure ulcers.
CMS writes, “Each resident must receive and the facility must provide the necessary care and services to attain or maintain the highest practicable physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being, in accordance with the comprehensive assessment and plan of care.” (more…)
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LUBBOCK, TX (NEWS RELEASE) – The Covenant Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine has been honored as a Wound Care Center® of the Year by Healogics, Inc., the nation’s leading and largest wound care management company. The center also was awarded Center of Distinction and the President’s Circle Award.
The center has achieved patient satisfaction rates higher than 92 percent, a healing rate of at least 91 percent in less than 31 median days and healed almost 90 percent of its patients in less than 14 weeks. Out of the 630 Centers eligible in 2016, only seven centers across the country received this prestigious award. Covenant’s center was awarded as Center of the Year for the southwest region, which includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and New Mexico. (more…)
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BY: NANCY MORGAN, RN, BSN, MBA, WOCN, WCC, CWCMS, DWC
The World Health Organization defines palliative care as care that affirms life and views death and dying as part of a normal process, intends neither to speed nor delay death, provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms, and offers support to the patient and family. (more…)
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by Dr. Michael Miller
I have several letters after my name. The two that say “DO” indicate that I have the training of a physician and the requisite education and responsibilities that uphold those letters. They should mean to patients that my ultimate goal is to offer (and provide when the fates allow) the entire spectrum of medical care referable to what I am good at and what they came to seek solace for. Nothing less and if I keep my ego in check, certainly nothing more. Patients run the gamut of their perception of the medical field. But like the old sales nemesis called “Bait and Switch”, what is offered on the sign all too often does not truly match what is seen on the shelves. Arrogant people are that way because they are good at what they do and not afraid to tell others. As a child, we are told to let others brag about us but failing to let people know what we can and can’t do is integral to our patients’ survival and our success. The problem is that the glitz and glamour of being a healer all too often clouds our success. Some time ago, I blogged about the pseudo-utilitarianism of all those so-called “Wound Certification” Exams. At first blush, these seem to be the key to health, wealth, omniscience and outcomes equaled only by those wound care management companies. (more…)
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