Educate Patients about Effects of Smoking on the Wound Healing Process
November 7, 2018
The effects of smoking on the wound healing process are well known, yet most practitioners fail to document any smoking cessation discussion or education.
Sacral Wounds and Diarrhea Don’t Mix
September 12, 2018
Frequent bouts of diarrhea make it difficult to care for wounds on the sacrum or coccyx, and healing often is impeded because of fecal contamination. Many patients, particularly those with mobility issues, have pressure injuries on the sacrum or coccyx. Frequent bouts of diarrhea make it difficult to care for these wounds, which affects healing. […]
What Would You Do if Your Patient Chokes?
August 31, 2018
Every minute counts when a patient chokes, so you must react confidently and have a plan in place to handle this emergency situation. John Quiñones stars in the ABC television show What Would You . The program features actors cast in scenes of conflict or illegal activity in public settings, while hidden cameras record the […]
The Head to Toe Search for Wounds
June 12, 2018
A comprehensive skin assessment should look for more than just wounds because many medical problems have telltale signs that are easy to see if you know what to look for. POA. These three little letters have become very important in wound care because we must document any wounds present on admission (POA). By doing so, […]
Nutrition Tips for Wound Patients With Cancer
May 11, 2018
Patients with wounds usually have multiple medical problems, and often the other diagnoses make meeting the nutritional plan difficult, such as when the wound patient also has cancer. I often discuss the increased nutritional requirements to fuel wound healing. Patients need extra calories and protein each day, plus an adequate amount of fluids, the right […]
Helping Wounds Heal With Amino Acids
April 6, 2018
The use of targeted amino acids is becoming more common as a strategy to help heal a variety of conditions, including wounds, because of the role key amino acids have in rebuilding tissue. Chronic wounds, meaning those that have not healed in 12 weeks, affect approximately 6.5 million patients in the United States annually at […]
Stinging. Burning. Painful. Wounds Hurt!
March 10, 2018
Wound pain is sometimes difficult to quantify, but if a patient complains of pain, this requires effective and timely pain management. In the midst of the war on narcotics, that might mean looking for alternative pain management techniques and learning new approaches. Several months ago, I was attacked by the most venomous scorpion in North […]
Discover the Benefits of Wound Care Nutrition Certification
February 9, 2018
Whether you are looking to increase your wound care nutrition knowledge or advance your career, a new wound care certification course for Registered Dietitians (RD) and Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) will help you meet your goals, while improving outcomes for your wound care patients. I often get funny reactions when I tell people I specialize […]
8 Reasons to Get Diabetes Under Control Now!
January 12, 2018
Patients with diabetes are more likely to suffer many serious health issues besides foot wounds and amputations. This makes it imperative that they resolve to get their blood glucose levels under control. All of the lawsuits I review have a common theme. The plaintiff suffers from a chronic wound and some degree of malnutrition and/or […]
Can You Use Job Burnout as a Legal Defense?
November 10, 2017
Wound care is a stressful profession, and sometimes your empathy bucket becomes empty, but job burnout is not a proper professional or legal defense. A group of my professional friends were having lunch together and catching up when one friend disclosed that she was taking a month off of work. We all looked at her […]