Learn tips for proper colostomy irrigation

September 3rd, 2019
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Wild on Wounds speaker Anita Prinz, RN, MSN, CWOCN, shared pointers in September at our national conference on colostomy irrigation as a life-changing ostomy management alternative to pouching.

One of the most important and rewarding aspects of working with ostomy patients is helping them adapt to life with a stoma.

A supportive and caring healthcare provider can make all the difference, educating patients on the best ostomy management practices for their schedule and lifestyle.

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Posted in Education, OSTOMY, ostomy management, stoma management, Wild On Wounds, Wound Care, Wound Care Education Institute | No Comments »

One patient’s perspective on how to adapt to living with an ostomy bag

August 27th, 2019
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Collin Jarvis was 21, athletic and a captain of his university’s track and cross-country teams.

He was about to enter his senior year at the University of California, Berkeley when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.

Only eight months later, in March 2014, Jarvis’ condition unexpectedly worsened and he had to undergo an emergency colectomy.

Jarvis said he never expected to develop complications from his illness so soon. After his surgery, he found himself living a totally different life than he ever imagined — as a person with an ileostomy.

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Posted in OSTOMY, ostomy management, Wild On Wounds, Wound Care | No Comments »

Don’t be a wound dabbler: Proper wound care must be science based

August 19th, 2019
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Ever wonder where clinicians come up with some of the treatments we unfortunately see in wound care today?

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By Bill Richlen, PT, WCC, DWC

Does it leave you scratching your head or pulling out your hair? I am sure there are plenty of wound care examples we could discuss for hours (with plenty of laughs).

Yet that doesn’t solve the problem or change the hearts and minds of clinicians — or wound dabblers — who feel those treatments are proper wound care.

Here’s a look at a few “inappropriate” treatments I have come across in my years as a wound specialist.

Let’s dissect them to understand what the “rationale” may have been and discuss why common sense, logic and scientific evidence doesn’t support them as proper wound care.

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Posted in Assessment, Education, Moist Wound Dressing, Wound and Skin Management, Wound Care, Wound Care Education Institute | Comments Off on Don’t be a wound dabbler: Proper wound care must be science based

Skin and wound management course helps you prep smart

August 12th, 2019
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“We should remember that good fortune often happens when opportunity meets with preparation.” – Thomas Edison

wound expert

Nancy Morgan, MBA, BSN, RN, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS

As the inventor of the phonograph, the motion-picture camera and, of course, the electric light bulb, Edison took on plenty of challenges in his time.

For healthcare clinicians of today, one of the biggest challenges is chronic wounds, which include diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers and venous, arterial leg ulcers. An estimated 67 million people are suffering with chronic wounds across the globe.

According to our co-founder Nancy Morgan, MBA, BSN, RN, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS, “as of last count, 6.5 million chronic wounds are being treated in the U.S., at a cost of $11 billion — not to mention the pain and suffering for patients.”

The reason, said Morgan, is patients are living longer with chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity.

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Posted in Education, pressure injuries, Wound and Skin Management, Wound Care, Wound Care Education Institute | Comments Off on Skin and wound management course helps you prep smart

Nurse expert witness impacts pressure injury case

August 5th, 2019
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Many of you have provided expert testimony in lawsuits in your own state, or other states, concerning wound care and whether that care was consistent with the applicable standard of care and standards of practice in that situation.

wound care

By Nancy J. Brent, MS, JD, RN

The following Arizona case — Rasor and Donald Miller, Wife and Husband, v. Northwest Hospital LLC — determined if a wound care nurse expert could testify to the cause of a wound sustained by the plaintiff (patient).

The female patient had open-heart surgery at the hospital and received an intra-aortic balloon pump “threatened through her femoral artery.” This required immobilization of her leg.

The patient was in the ICU for several days and the nursing staff discovered a pressure injury on her coccyx that reached stage IV and required 31 debridement procedures.

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Posted in Legal, Litigation Wound Care, pressure injuries, pressure ulcers, Wound Care, Wound Care Education Institute | Comments Off on Nurse expert witness impacts pressure injury case

Instructor takes wound care education across South Pacific

July 29th, 2019
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When Nancy Morgan, MBA, BSN, RN, WOC, WCC, DWC, OMS, began her career in wound care, she never imagined her work would someday take her to American Samoa.

Carole Jakucs

By Carole Jakucs, MSN, RN, PHN

In June 2019, it did just that. Morgan, who co-founded the Wound Care Education Institute (WCEI), spent three days consulting with Samoan clinicians on specific wound patients and presented a one-day formal wound care class.

At the same time, she enjoyed a life-changing experience by connecting with her newly discovered people, culture and nation.

Adopted at the tender age of five days old, Morgan grew up an only child. Even though her adoptive parents were wonderful and Morgan said she felt blessed, as time went on she yearned to learn who her biological parents were.

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Posted in Diabetic Foot, Diabetic Wound Care, Diabetic Wound Certification, Education, Nutrition, Wound and Skin Management, Wound Care Education Institute | Comments Off on Instructor takes wound care education across South Pacific

Study: Wound care certified nurses reduce pressure injury rates

July 23rd, 2019
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Just how much of an impact do wound care certified (WCC) nurses and other clinicians have on their patients? More than you might imagine.

Carole Jakucs

By Carole Jakucs, MSN, RN, PHN

A formal study was conducted under the auspices of a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) program known as the Hospital Improvement Innovation Network (HIIN). The findings of the study revealed a correlation with the presence of onsite WCC staff and a reduction in pressure injury rates for patients.

More than 2.5 million people in the U.S. are affected by pressure injuries, and more than 60,000 patients die each year as a direct result of the condition, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The HIIN study was funded by a grant program through the CMS using civil monetary penalty funds. These funds are used to support projects that benefit patients and residents of nursing homes with the goal of improving the quality of care they receive.

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Posted in pressure injuries, pressure injury staging, pressure ulcers, Wound Care, Wound Care Costs | Comments Off on Study: Wound care certified nurses reduce pressure injury rates

FIRST things first when evaluating wound healing research

July 18th, 2019
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You hear more and more about evidence-based wound care. But what does that mean and how can you tell when a study is a good one?

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By Bill Richlen, PT, WCC, DWC

To evaluate the reliability of wound healing research, you can use the acronym FIRST to help. Here’s what each step means.

F — Funding

Who funded the study? Was the data published for the financial gain of a company?

You should compare these studies to other existing data to determine whether the results are true or manipulated. Studies funded by a manufacturer, or those in which the researchers and authors have a financial relationship with the manufacturer, tend to be biased.

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Posted in Assessment, Education, Technology, Wound Care | Comments Off on FIRST things first when evaluating wound healing research

Learn how written discharge instructions can protect your practice

July 16th, 2019
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Accurate, complete and defensive documentation is essential in all areas of practice, and wound care nursing is no exception.

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By Nancy J. Brent, MS, JD, RN

One component of documentation that is of utmost importance is written discharge instructions. In the following case, this was one of the central issues the federal court had to evaluate — Shelton v. United States, 804 F. Supp. 1147.

The patient sought treatment at a VA hospital after he was bitten on the tip of the middle finger of his right hand during an altercation with a female after they left a bar.

The wound was painful and bleeding.  He called 911, stating he had been shot. He would not allow the paramedics to examine his finger.

The ED admitting nurse noted on the admission form he had suffered “trauma” to his right middle finger. He was then seen by an ED physician, whom he told he was bitten and that he had been shot.

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Posted in Assessment, Infection, Legal, Litigation Wound Care, Wound and Skin Management, Wound Care, Wound Care Education Institute | Comments Off on Learn how written discharge instructions can protect your practice

How to persuade clinicians to change a wound care order

July 9th, 2019
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How can you convince an ordering clinician to consider a more effective wound treatment? Psychology offers some clues.

By Keisha Smith, MA, CWCMS

If you’re a knowledgeable, certified wound care clinician, receiving an outdated or illogical wound care order can be frustrating.

So, what can you do when you’re tasked with administering treatments you believe will be ineffective or harmful to a patient?

First, practicing substandard wound care can land you in legal hot water, even if you are following orders.

To protect your license, reputation and financial well-being, you need to speak up about wound care orders that contradict your knowledge and training.

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Posted in Assessment, Education, Wild On Wounds, Wound and Skin Management, Wound Care, Wound Care Education Institute, WOW Conference | Comments Off on How to persuade clinicians to change a wound care order

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