Home Health

by Lydia A Meyers RN, MSN, CWCN At the start of December, I was looking at graduation from my Master's Degree program and the completion of my final paper. A capstone to the Master's program is much like the dissertation to the doctoral program. My journey has been long and along the way I have increased my base of knowledge. What I have learned on this journey will enhance my practical knowledge of wound care and patient care. I learned that health care must change, and we must look hard at how we are doing business and be willing to challenge the status quo. Health care needs highly knowledgeable leaders to assure patients receive quality care by being good stewards of the money given to promote that care. The provider must be educated to assure the patient's wishes are followed first and always.

By Cheryl Carver, LPN, WCC, CWCA, DAPWCA, FACCWS Worldwide Pressure Ulcer/Injury Prevention & Awareness Day is November 21st. This day is considered pretty much a holiday at my home. I have Stop Pressure Ulcer tee shirts, and I order a cake or STOP sign cookies every year from the bakery in memory of my mother. To some it might sound crazy, but my life was strongly impacted forever in 1996 after my mother passed away in my arms at only 47 years old because of complications of diabetes and what was called at that time "multiple decubitus." The image and smell will never leave my mind. It changed my life forever as a daughter, a caregiver, and later as a wound nurse. I needed more answers to heal my heart. How could my mother acquire such horrible wounds while at the hospital to get better? My mind was twirling nonstop with the 5Ws. Who, what, when, where, why? So, then it began. I wanted to learn everything I could. This ended up being sort of my therapy, which transitioned into my passion and purpose.

By Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS Part 4 in a series discussing the challenges and opportunities in patient/family education For Part 1, Click Here For Part 2, Click Here For Part 3, Click Here

By Margaret Heale RN, MSc, CWOCN I watched a short PowerPoint DVD on the "bag technique" as part of our regular in-servicing the other day. The presentation started with the most important way to prevent cross infection—wash hands—which is fine. Then came the bag technique. I have no problem with the fundamentals of keeping your bag off the floor, only getting anything out of it after decontaminating your hands, and wiping before you store. I do have a problem with having to place the bag on a Chux or water-resistant wipeable or disposable surface, however.

By Terri Kolenich, RN, CWCA, AAPWCA We all have hobbies outside of what we do for a living. At least, we all should have hobbies or interests outside of our careers. Our hobbies are our outlet for stress. I love to draw. I also enjoy painting. What I love most of all is acting and theater. I love being on stage, performing, and getting an emotional response from my audience. Everyone that knows me well knows how much I love acting on stage. Bringing a script to life exhilarates me. Just the thought of performing live, delivering memorized lines, and anticipating the reaction of my fellow actors stirs and motivates me. Most of all I crave the opportunity to use my improvising skills when a scene goes an unexpected direction.

By Christine Miller, DPM, DMM, PhD, FACCWS One of the gratifying aspects of being a wound care physician is the ability to develop such rich relationships with our patients. The frequent and consistent contact with the same provider lays a strong foundation of open communication and trust. I work in an urban safety net hospital’s ambulatory care center, which sees a high volume of high-acuity patients. It is not uncommon for me to see patients with venous leg ulcerations with concomitant uncontrolled hypertension or diabetic foot ulcerations secondary to uncontrolled blood glucose levels. Patient education is a vital part of my clinical encounters, particularly focusing on the systemic nature of wound healing. I always emphasize that while we are treating your wound, it is the full body well-being that is needed for ultimate success.

Health care delivered in the home or outpatient setting has continued to increase. According to the latest figures in 2018 and 2017, over 11,500 home care agencies treated 4.9 million individuals in the United States. As the aging population increases, the nuances of optimal wound care delivery in the home health setting should be examined.

By Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS I hope this missive finds all of you safe and warm. For many, this has been an exceptionally brutal winter. Blizzards, ice storms, avalanches and a drought. All that is missing are zombie snowmen and a plague of locusts.

By Diana L. Gallagher MS, RN, CWOCN, CFCN While watching the CBS news show, Sunday Morning, my attention was captured by a piece offered by Steve Hartman. I admit that I am a fan of Steve Hartman. I always enjoy his sense of which stories are really important. Today's news is filled with turmoil, tragedy, and drama; a lot like life but on a much larger scale. There simply has to be something positive trapped in the midst of so much overwhelming negative information. Once again, Steve Hartman found that thread of optimism in the midst of tragedy. It is that invisible thread and hope that there is something positive to reap out of overwhelming tragedy that serves as a lifeline to so many of us.