Patient Outcomes

By Janet Wolfson, PT, CLWT, CWS, CLT-LANA

Last spring, I encountered that specific type of patient we sometimes meet, the one who has been through the chronic wound care revolving door so many times that he or she sets out on his or her own path and refuses any byways diverting from it.

Ms. A had stage 3 lymphedema after a left knee replacement opened the hidden trap door of undiagnosed lymphedema several years before her admission to our inpatient rehab facility. Her reason for admission was debility from urinary tract infection (UTI). Comorbidities of obesity, severe arthritis of the right knee, diabetes, and chronic lymphedema wounds on both legs were exacerbating factors making discharge home difficult from the acute hospital.

by Janet Wolfson PT, CLWT, CWS, CLT-LANA

I was recently listening to one of my favorite news sources, NPR, enjoying an interview with James E. Ryan, the author of "Wait, What? - and Life's Other Essential Questions". The premise was that asking the right questions can lead to a happier and more successful life. A physician called in to relate that this was something he had been doing in his medical practice. I couldn't have agreed more – the questions I ask my patients (and then listening to their answers) can go a long way toward making an intervention in their health care more successful.

by Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS, FAAN

As we embark on our journey into 2017, many are concerned about the road ahead. A new President and GOP dominated Congress have promised to make health care reform a priority. There have been numerous articles and opinion pieces written about the path these changes will take and what they will mean to patients, caregivers, and clinicians alike

by Catherine T. Milne, APRN, MSN, BC-ANP, CWOCN-AP

From Nike's "Just Do It" ad campaign to Google's corporate "Don't be evil" code, I've always been struck by the many marketing campaigns that remind us to pay attention to our conscience. A similar focus should apply to health care. In 2000, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published a scathing report showing that the number of people who died from medical errors surpassed the combined total of those who died from breast cancer and car accidents.¹

by Aletha Tippett MD

How do you know if you are making right choice for a patient? Or, how do you know if you are even making a choice? This is true in the world of limb salvage. I have witnessed too many patients for which the risk of amputation was too much, and they died. But how do you know what the outcome will really be? You never really know, but you can make your best guess.

by Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS, FAAN
Several years ago I made a New Year's resolution to stop making New Year's resolutions. Like most New Year's resolutions I have not had much success in keeping it. Therefore I am sharing a few resolutions.

By Robert Striks, Special Writer, Encompass HealthCare & Wound Medicine

There's a funny scene in the Marx Brothers movie, "Horse Feathers," where Chico tells Harpo how to escape from the room they are locked inside by using a rope. Chico instructs Harpo to tie one end of the rope to the bed and then throw the other end of the rope out the window. "Tie on the bed, throw the rope out the window," he repeats. Haplessly, Harpo takes the tie he was wearing around his neck, places it on the bed and then throws the entire escape rope out the window.

by Cheryl Carver, LPN, WCC, CWCA, FACCWS, DAPWCA, CLTC

National Nurse's Week (May 6-12) clearly influenced me for this month's blog topic. I think about teamwork among nursing staff members. A joint effort is not only paramount in delivering quality health care, but can also help us with job satisfaction. It makes me think of a favorite quote by Helen Keller: "Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much." We can refer to teamwork in many different ways, but one thing remains certain: pulling together results in positive outcomes.

RAMBLINGS OF AN ITINERANT WOUND CARE GUY, PT. 28

by Michael Miller DO, FACOS, FAPWCA, WCC

As much as I detest bureaucratic oversight and mandates from those above who have no idea what they are doing in their own day to day lest my own, I am coming to the conclusion that a big hammer is needed and fortunately, it seems to be coming. At first, when I heard the whisper that there would be a single amount paid for each wound care case, I shuddered because I was concerned that it would make me look harder at how I spend my patients' money. Diabetic foot ulcer debridements weekly to every other week... going to advanced biologics after the basics have not produced the desired results... tough decisions when economics is the ultimate gatekeeper.

by Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS

As we say goodbye to 2013 and usher in 2014, most of us reflect on the past and plan for the future. What does 2014 mean when we look ahead to wound care? This past year saw health care dominating the news in the USA; add a government shutdown, political divisiveness that polarized and in some cases paralyzed the nation, and of course continued worldwide economic and political upheavals, and the overall challenges can seem overwhelming.