Clinician Education

After attending the Spring Symposium for Advanced Wound Care and hearing many great lectures, I got to thinking, “What are the pillars of chronic wound care?” We have all heard of the concept “look at the whole patient and not the hole in the patient.” Heck, I have even written about it. But we also need to have a good foundation for how to implement this phrase or where to even start. I did a quick Internet search and came up with some interesting articles that talked about the basics of wound care and management. I found discussions on everything from maintaining a moist wound environment to being financially responsible. All of this information leads me to the concept of developing easy-to-understand pillars or categories to consider when caring for a patient with a chronic wound.

By Robert Striks, Special Writer, Encompass HealthCare & Wound Medicine There's a funny scene in the Marx Brothers movie, "Horse Feathers," where Chico tells Harpo how to escape from the room they are locked inside by using a rope. Chico instructs Harpo to tie one end of the rope to the bed and then throw the other end of the rope out the window. "Tie on the bed, throw the rope out the window," he repeats. Haplessly, Harpo takes the tie he was wearing around his neck, places it on the bed and then throws the entire escape rope out the window.

By Miranda Henry, WoundSource Managing Editor There are opportunities for health care providers at all levels to become experts in the field of wound care. This multidisciplinary field is comprised of a wide range of health care professionals including nurses, dietitians, surgeons, gerentologists, podiatrists, physical therapists…the list is expansive!

By Terri Kolenich, RN, CWCA, AAPWCA We have all heard time and time again how important it is to take care of yourself first so you can take better care of others. It is impossible to give something you do not have. Nurses, by nature and training, care for others before caring for themselves. Taking care of yourself should be as important to you as caring for your patients. This life lesson is clearly presented by flight attendants before every take off. Let me explain.

By Laurie Swezey RN, BSN, CWOCN, CWS, FACCWS You've learned all you can about wound care. Perhaps you've been working in wound care for a while and have decided that you would like to pursue wound care certification to showcase your knowledge and give you a leg up at work (and perhaps a nice raise!). Here's how to go about preparing for the wound care certification exam.

By Holly M. Hovan, MSN, GERO-BC, APRN, CWOCN-AP The third Thursday in November is a highly recognized day within many hospital systems and wound care programs. This day is recognized nationally as World Wide Pressure Injury Prevention Day, highlighted by the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP). The third Thursday in November is a time to bring awareness to pressure injury prevention, treatment, and research. Each year, we highlight this day a little bit differently, but this year definitely looked much different from years past.

By Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS, FAAN January is the month for committing to new goals and resolutions for the year ahead. Several years ago I made a New Year's resolution to stop making New Year's resolutions. Like most New Year's resolutions I have not had much success in keeping it. Therefore I am sharing a few resolutions.

To understand the concepts of a wound and wound healing, we must examine the skin and its pathophysiology, as well as its unique structures and functions. Skin care and wound management must be grounded in a comprehensive knowledge base of the structure and functions of the skin. The skin is the largest organ of the body, covering approximately 18 square feet and weighing about 12 pounds, or up to 15% of total adult body weight. It requires one-third of an individual’s circulating blood volume to sustain it. Normal surface skin temperature is 92 degrees, compared with a core body temperature average of 98.6 degrees.

The purpose of this blog is to bring special attention to common dermatologic conditions connected with drug addiction. Although drugs are well known for their significant impact on all body organs (liver, bladder, stomach, and kidneys), various physical manifestations of drug use are often unknown or underrecognized. Many clinicians and even dermatologists fail to see the many symptoms of drug misuse in the skin. Skin lesions caused by substance use may be induced by the drug itself, an allergic reaction, the drug administration method, or any contaminants or infectious agents that may have been mixed in with the drug. It is possible to identify substance users based on the shape and pattern of their skin conditions. Clinicians can learn these signs to better help patients.