By Aletha Tippett MD
For a physician or nurse in wound care, the primary thing to remember is this: you are not just seeing a wound, you are seeing a person who has a wound. Do not lose sight of this human and their humanity. Always look at the whole picture of your patient, not just their wound. Find out what is important to them and for them. Your patient might tell you, “Doc, I don’t care about the wound, I just can’t stand the smell,” or “Doc, just cut my leg off because I can’t stand the pain.”