Practice Management

Editor's Note: How can facilities lower their hospital-acquired pressure injury (HAPI) rates? In this interview, Kelly McFee, DNP, FNP-C, CWS, CWCN-AP, FACCWS, DAPWCA discusses setting up a pressure injury prevention program at her facility with a focus on multidisciplinary efforts, along with resources that helped move this initiative along.

By Janet Wolfson, PT, CLWT, CWS, CLT-LANA

I have blogged in the past about the Lymphedema Treatment Act (LTA), and I'm happy to report that the LTA is now a federal law, which was passed on December 23, 2022, by the 117th Congress. It will amend Sec. 1861 [42 USC 1395x] of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for compression supplies that are “conservative, time-proven cornerstones of lymphedema treatment.”

Editor's Note: After attending SAWC Spring 2023, Emily Greenstein, APRN, CNP, CWON, FACCWS, shares several facets of good wound care that she explored at the conference. She discusses going back to the basics, which include wound cleaning and involving patients in care.

By Shannon Solley, Associate Editor

Within the past 30 years, the output of medical research has increased. A 2022 review of PubMed's database found cohort studies alone have risen from just under 10,000 in 2010 to nearly 35,000 in 2020.¹ In wound care, experts know that staying up to date on evidence-based practices can ensure best outcomes for patients. However, many wound care professionals may find it cumbersome to review complex studies. “We’re all really busy,” said Denise Nemeth, MPAS, PA-C, CWS. “How are we supposed to [accomplish all our responsibilities to ourselves and our patients] and, on top of that, stay on top of research, are you kidding me?"

By Hannah Fell, Digital Managing Editor

Jennifer Bouchard became a registered nurse with a BSN in 2005. Since then, she has gotten her MSN and MBA and, most recently, had the opportunity to work at a startup outpatient wound care clinic with a local hospital. It was through her experiences in that position that led to her research, which she showcases in a poster at SAWC Spring 2023.

Dr. Scott Bolhack, MD, MBA, CMD, CWS, FACP, FAAP, discusses the importance of communication across care settings. Through the "Wound Provider Checklist" he presented at SAWC Spring 2023, Dr. Bolhack hopes this tool simplifies the complexities of patient transition through care.

Dr. Scott Bolhack, MD, MBA, CMD, CWS, FACP, FAAP, shares the issues and complexities he's seen in patient transitions across care settings like post-acute hospital and hospice care. Through the "Wound Provider Checklist" he presented at SAWC spring 2023, Dr. Bolhack hopes this tool simplifies the complexities of patient transition through care.

Thanoon Thabet, BSN, RN, WTA-C

Pain is an important factor when performing wound care procedures, especially dressing changes, which account for moderate to severe pain in 74% of wound care patients. Traditional pain management methods commonly employed, such as opioids, may not always produce a desirable result or be effective due to potential side effects, addiction risk, and delayed wound healing.² A current, non-pharmacological pain management approach emerging as a promising alternative is Virtual Reality (VR).³

Scott Bolhack MD, MBA, CMD, CWS, FACP, FAAP, shares the insights he gained from the uncommon wound he encountered. The 7th Day Stingray itch syndrome, although well known on the west coast, is not familiar to providers who practice inland. Learn how Dr. Bolhack and his co-author discovered the best course of action for this delayed histamine reaction to a stingray injury and how it can be applied to the problem solving of treating other uncommon wounds.

As clinicians know, wound healing is a complex biological process that involves the migration and proliferation of cells along with other molecular events like extracellular matrix deposition. Regardless of the process for healing a wound at the cellular level, a patient’s ability to get adequate nutrition can also play a role in this healing process. It has been shown that malnutrition can cause increased levels of infection, along with a decrease in tensile strength. As a result, the lack of nutritious foods further delays the wound healing process, potentially putting a patient at risk of developing a non-healing wound.