Implementation of a Standardized Wound Care System at a Multi-Site Senior Living Community

Purpose: Oakwood Lutheran Senior Ministries in Madison, Wisconsin has approximately 1000 seniors residing in independent living, assisted living, memory care, or skilled care between two campuses. In December 2015, we compiled a Quality Improvement Project to update our wound management process.

Objectives:

• Standardization of purchasing wound care through a single supplier with a formulary of quality products with the goal to reduce cost and improving purchasing efficiencies.
• Improve the quality of wound care in regards to staff productivity by optimizing dressing change frequency, accessibility of supplies and dressings, and optimize dressing selection based on wound assessment of depth, exudate, and bioburden.
• Compliance with F-Tags, Best-Practices, and Improve Skin Tear Treatment based on recently published ISTAP Consensus Guidelines.

Outcomes: Over the course of three months we vetted dressing suppliers. We ran small pilot evaluations with our wound care clinicians at each campus to choose our supplier. With the assistance of the supplier's clinical specialist, a reconciliation of all care areas was completed by reviewing existing supplies, types of wounds commonly managed, cross-referenced supplies, developed a formulary, and unit stocking levels for each level of care.

Conclusions: This is a continuous improvement process with the first phases of implementation regarding selecting products and physician and clinical team education completed. The streamlined wound care products are more readily available for the nursing staff. The specialty wound care products come from a consistent vendor. Using our preferred products, we developed a standardized wound care protocol and skin tear protocol that is implemented organization wide and supported by our Medical Directors.