Venous vs. Arterial Ulcers: What’s the Difference?
By Bill Richlen, PT, WCC, DWC
July 21, 2017
Content updated in March 2021 When it comes to arterial and venous ulcers one would think that the difference would be fairly obvious since we are talking about two entirely different etiologies. Unfortunately, due to the lack of comprehensive chronic wound management education available to clinicians in their post-secondary education, many clinicians may not truly […]
Pressure Injuries and Medical Device Dilemmas
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
June 16, 2017
Medical device-related pressure injuries (MDRPIs) are a standard part of wound care, but preventative practices can make a big difference. One of the first things clinicians learn about treating pressure injuries is to find the cause of the pressure and simply remove it. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? But what do you do when the cause […]
Shingles: Treatment and Managing Pain
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
May 26, 2017
Clinicians can help relieve patient pain and discomfort caused by shingles with these treatment options. Did you know that one in three people in the United States is affected by shingles? This common and very painful skin condition also happens to be made worse by stress – like hospitalization and other chronic illnesses. As clinicians, […]
9 Wound Care Documentation Pitfalls to Avoid
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
May 12, 2017
Lawsuits often are settled out of court because the medical record documentation is not defensible. Incomplete, illogical, and inconsistent records are far too common, so it is important to avoid the common pitfalls. After reviewing hundreds of medical charts involved in litigation, I noticed many of the same problems occurring in the wound care documentation […]
The Great (Legal) Debate About Turn and Reposition Documentation
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
April 7, 2017
Documentation of turning and repositioning often leads to legal problems as some healthcare providers chart by exception and others chart at the point of care. “The hospital never turned the patient, and therefore the patient suffered a serious pressure injury,” declared the plaintiff attorney. The defense team shot back, “Whoa. Slow down. Never is long […]
Wound Care Challenge: Skin Folds and ITD
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
March 31, 2017
How to identify and treat intertriginous dermatitis (ITD) within the skin folds among obese patients. Statistics show that more than one in three adults in the U.S. are obese (BMI>30). Patients within this population often have skin folds in many areas of the body, especially under the arms, in the groin, under the breasts, and […]
What’s New in Wound Care? Meet Our Fantastic Four
By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS
March 15, 2017
Check out these four new and cutting-edge wound treatments that’ll have you excited and ready for the future. When it comes to wound care, there are some incredible developments in progress that might just blow your mind. In fact, these new products and wound treatments are so cutting-edge, they sound like they’re straight out of […]