Clinical Trials

By Michel H.E. Hermans, MD At the beginning of a new year, many look back at the previous one in an attempt to analyze what happened, whether it was good or bad or perhaps even special.

When determining the course of action for treating a given wound, it is important that wound care clinicians evaluate how advanced wound care therapies have been deemed evidence based and how the specific product technology works. Evidence-based advanced wound care products are required to be safe and effective based on epidemiology, etiology, and pathophysiology. However, safety and efficiency are not a 100% guarantee of effectiveness in clinical practice.

By Diana L. Gallagher MS, RN, CWOCN, CFCN I just finished attending my first professional conference of the year. It was a combined meeting of the Wound Care Institute and the South Central Region of WOCN. Since becoming certified as a wound, ostomy and continence nurse, I have always contended that important components of professional practice include maintaining membership in your professional society as well as a commitment to lifelong learning.

By Michel H.E. Hermans, MD Merriam Webster defines bias as "selecting or encouraging one outcome or answer over others." The Cochrane handbook states: "The reliability of the results of a randomized trial depends on the extent to which potential sources of bias have been avoided."

by Thomas E. Serena MD, FACS, FACHM, FAPWCA Pete Seeger died a year ago last January at the age of 94. Reading a tribute to the folk singer, I ran across his most memorable tune, "Where have all the flowers gone?" I have long enjoyed the numerous versions of this folk song recorded by dozens of artists. The fatalism of the lyrics and the circular verse form made it emblematic of a most unfortunate decade in American life: the 60s.

by Ivy Razmus, RN, PhD, CWOCN As we continually focus on improving our skills in prevention and management of skin and wounds, we are beginning to understand that one size does not fit all; or, in other words, prevention and management in wound care are dependent on the size and age of the patient. In wound care, one method of care does not fit all types of patients. Although those clinicians who work with younger populations know this to be true based on our personal experience, this can be a problem if the purchasing of products for younger patients' skin and wound care is decided without the input of the providers and caregivers who care for them.

By Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Journal Review Club The advancement of technology and the introduction of the World Wide Web have allowed information to be a click of a button away for health care providers as well as patients. This advancement led to the demand and production of portal devices such as smartphones, which transformed many aspects of society today, including health care. Today, smartphone applications may aid health care providers in drug reference, diagnosis, treatment, literature search, and even medical training. In 2009, an estimated 6.5 million patients had chronic wounds and spent more than $25 billion dollars on wound care. In addition, rising costs of wound management have suggested the need for the use of mobile applications in treatment of wound care patients.

By Keval Parikh and James McGuire DPM, PT, CPed, FAPWHc An important aspect of the field of wound care is the proper preparation of the wound bed. Key points in wound bed preparation include minimizing exudate, assistance in the facilitation of the body’s healing process, and helping to produce a well-vascularized, stable wound that is free of microbes.

By Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine Journal Review Club Editor's note: This post is part of the Temple University School of Podiatric Medicine (TUSPM) journal review club blog series. In each blog post, a TUSPM student will review a journal article relevant to wound management and related topics and provide their evaluation of the clinical research therein.