Almost 20 years ago, papers in wound literature described the importance of adequate wound bed preparation to remove the barriers to healing and change the wound healing trajectory. One of these papers described a methodology of wound bed preparation using the acronym TIME, reflective of the tissue condition, the presence of infection or inflammation, the importance of maintaining a moist wound environment and ensuring that the edge of the wound was conducive to epithelial migration as the wound moved toward final closure.
As wound healing research has evolved and the importance of the holistic care of the patient has been appreciated, it was realized that the TIME principles alone focused on the wound rather than the wound as part of the patient condition. This program will describe work that has been done to expand the TIME model into a Clinical Decision Support Tool using a step-wise method in a practical approach to incorporate into day-to-day practice.
Registrants for this webinar will be able to:
- Describe the wound-related factors that were addressed in the original TIME model of wound bed preparation.
- List three elements that have evolved from the original TIME model as an understanding of the chronic wound environment has advanced.
- Discuss how the TIME Clinical Decision Support Tool evaluates the factors critical in evaluation and the development of management strategies for the patient with a chronic wound.
Patients with wounds present to multiple health care providers across a multitude of practice settings. It is vital for all health care providers who encounter wounds to have an understanding of wound bed preparation. The TIME model of wound healing, with the addition of the Clinical Decision Support Tool update, is a great resource to help encourage wound healing.
