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Information/Education Rep
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Managing Surgical Wound Care Outcomes First Author: Corrine McIssac Authors: Corrine McIsaac MEd,BScN,RN Introduction: Data collations across Canada in Home Care have revealed a surprising finding in that open and closed surgical wounds have been reported as the highest prevalence of wounds in over 400 assessment exercises in Canada.The successful treatment of open and closed surgical wounds and any subsequent surgical site infections that may occur is an overwhelming endeavor across the health care continuum. The lack of evidence-based research, the variability of treatment protocols for surgical wounds and the escalating economic costs burden an already overburdened system. The challenges are especially daunting in home care settings as shorter hospital stays and increased outpatient surgical interventions have contributed to making the home one of the fastest growing settings for wound treatment. Methods: Outcome measurement exercises collected by the author with a standardized tool in selected home care sites between 2001 and 2006 with 30,000 patients shows that approximately 30-40 per cent of nursing visits involve wound care and approximately 50 per cent of these visits involve the treatment of surgical wounds. Application of moist wound healing; a multi-disciplinary approach and standardized treatment protocols have demonstrated improved patient and economic outcomes. Results: This approach has resulted in decreased length of stay on caseloads by as much as 70 per cent improved healing rates of open surgical wounds from 29 weeks to 3 weeks and statements from clients that indicate decreased pain. Conclusion: Managing surgical wounds and surgical site infections more effectively increases opportunities to improve individual client outcomes. Moreover, it enables care providers to improve the quality and consistency of their clinical practice while simultaneously decreasing the costs associated with managing surgical wounds and surgical site infections across the health care continuum. |
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