Our New England village has an annual tradition that takes place on the town green. These two acres of well-manicured grass have historically been central to the fabric of the hamlet. Every Memorial Day, members of the fifth grade class assemble on the steps of one of the town's oldest buildings to recite the Gettysburg Address. With parents, grandparents, and residents looking toward the cherub-faced innocents, they deliver, "Fourscore and seven years ago..."

A score, of course, is twenty years. The Gettysburg Address was a turning point in American history, not only for its content, but also for its simple eloquence. Today we use the term "disruptor" to signal significant changes in social, political, technological or economic practices. The "Fourscore and seven" Abraham Lincoln was referring to is the 87 years of change between the Declaration of Independence and the events during the Civil War. In today's world, a disruptor is an individual, event, product or business model that changes how everyday patterns are practiced. A "disruptor" can do this in one score or less.

The Changing Field of Wound Care

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Tipping Point, explains that disruption requires more than luck. The event needs to have creativity and consciousness and have at its helm a person who won't take no for an answer. I think it requires more than that. It takes a collaborative, open mind to listen to others while outside of your comfort zone, coupled with timing and technology.

Let's look at the field of wound management. How much has changed in twenty years? In the mid-1990s, there was a proliferation of dressings, support surfaces, and innovative companies sprouting up in the field. Add the convergence of visionary people forming or, in some instances, reforming organizations. Pepper the field with new health care business models such as an outpatient wound management product line, and disruption was born.

This year, WoundSource, celebrates its twentieth year. I applaud the disruption. As clinicians, we needed a single source to compare a variety of features of related products and devices. A visionary in her own right, Jeanne Cunningham, founder of WoundSource, saw a need. She delivered. What was done at Kestrel Health Information, Inc. created a model that many try to imitate. By layering the complexity of available goods and services with reimbursement codes, an integration surpassed by none was achieved. Disruptors attract other like-minded people, and the contributions of the founding Clinical Editor of WoundSource, Glenda Motta, cannot be understated. Score one for creativity, consciousness, and steadfast determination!

Technology and Wound Care Resources

I am not the same person or clinician I was twenty years ago. No doubt you aren't either. WoundSource has also matured, but not in a fashion that many businesses do, that is, keeping doing what has always been done. To thwart the inevitable staleness that comes with putting out an annual hard-copy publication, internal soul-searching is in order.

WoundSource remains a leading force in providing comprehensive, relevant information for today's clinicians. How? By adopting technology early. Not only is the traditional print version available, but other content available from WoundSource also can enhance your wound management savvy. The most thought-provoking blogs are always a delightful read. Most importantly, they are written by talented clinicians who work in the trenches each day. White papers, available for download, and regular webinar events give WoundSource users an in-depth perspective on pertinent subjects.

Lamenting that you couldn't go to that last conference? Consider virtual reality. Posters are available at the WoundSource Online Poster Hall. You can search for any piece of information remarkably fast by using key terms. Of course, more posters are welcome, so please consider submitting your work. The sharing economy has come to the wound management space!

WoundSource hasn't stopped, either. The Resource segment of WoundSource.com has many useful subsections. From careers in the field and upcoming conferences to continuing education, this is another one of my favorite areas. I can quickly drill down to get the information I need, even if I am mobile! Score another one, WoundSource!

Speaking of scores, let's settle one. By my account, 20 years is young enough not to fear the unknown. That's a perfect age for more innovation. Cue the orchestra and play the score—as the first score was a perfect one, indeed!

To view the digital edition of the WoundSource 2017, CLICK HERE.

About the Author
Catherine T. Milne, APRN, MSN, BC-ANP, CWOCN-AP, is the co-owner of Connecticut Clinical Nursing Associates, a practice focusing on direct patient care, consultation, education and research in the fields of wound, ostomy and continence care.