WCEI Buzz Report: End-of-Year Wound Care Recap

Welcome to the WCEI Buzz Report — your source for the latest in wound care education and industry trends.

This quarter, we’re focusing on updates and innovations in skin and wound management, diabetic wound care, and ostomy management, highlighted at the 2024 Wild on Wounds (WOW) conference.

Let’s jump right into it!

What’s trending?

In 2024, there have been many developments touching all areas of wound care. However, before we delve into some of the top trends and innovations from this year, let’s look at some of the significant rebranding efforts we have witnessed within the wound care industry:

• Bravida Medical, formerly Argentum Medical, Cure Surgical, and BioDerm Incorporated have united under a new identity to better serve their clients and bring more innovative wound care solutions.
• Previously known as 3M Healthcare, Solventum has emerged as a distinct healthcare entity. Over the next few years, products previously labeled under 3M Healthcare will transition to the Solventum brand.

Skin and wound management and diabetic wound care

1.     The newest updates to global wound care guidelines

Wound care guidelines ensure clinicians are equipped with the latest evidence-based practices to enhance patient outcomes and care efficiency.

Incorporating collective knowledge and innovation helps wound care nurses and other healthcare professionals like you stay current on best practices and improve skills in managing complex wounds.

These guidelines come from around the world, from a variety of professional societies and organizations, and present an exciting opportunity to build upon colleagues’ work.

At WOW 2024, we highlighted the following updates:

• The International Skin Tear Advisory Panel shared the latest resources and information surrounding skin tears at their 2024 World Without Skin Tears conference. Recordings of the conference are available on their website.
• The International Working Group on Diabetic Feet 2023 released guidelines on preventing and managing diabetes-related foot disease at the end of 2023. Currently, they have nine videos planned that discuss these updates, and six are currently available.
• Nurses Specialized in Wound Ostomy Continence Care Canada has released two new guidelines in September 2023 and April 2024. Their recommendations involve the topical management of malignant cutaneous wounds and percutaneous central feeding tubes.
• The Pressure Injury Advisory Panel is forecasted to release updated practice guidelines in early 2025, which will provide updated principles and methodology for pressure injury management, which will closely align with the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.

2.     The evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI) in wound care

AI is here to stay, and it should be part of every wound clinician’s toolbox. At the 2024 WOW conference, some exhibitors shared examples of AI usage, which included using AI with wound measurement and documentation.

As AI integrates into wound care practice, this also presents considerations around the economic and environmental impacts AI use can have for organizations.  So consider each organization’s policies and ensure the use of AI is ethical and done with integrity.

The integration of AI can help shape wound care to streamline workflows, enhance treatment planning, and transform wound assessment. These advances facilitate continuous professional growth and enable clinicians to continue to stay up to date with the latest treatments and techniques.

But remember, as clinicians, it is our responsibility to do our due diligence to ensure that we’re using AI properly.

3.     The U.S. government and wound care

The Lymphedema Treatment Act is a federal law passed on December 23, 2022, and went into effect on January 1, 2024. The bill provides Medicare coverage of prescribed lymphedema compression treatment supplies.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Medicare Coverage Database for certain products for treating diabetic foot ulcers and venous leg ulcers. Additionally, the docket #FDA-2023-N-3392 was released. This medical device paper discusses general cosmetic surgery devices, which involves classification of certain solid wound dressings; wound dressings formulated as a gel, cream, or ointment; and liquid wound washes.

As wound care nurses and clinicians, we serve as advocates for our patients, and it’s important to be aware of and maintain contact with our local representatives to ensure the needs of our patients are being addressed.

4.     New and improved technologies in wound care products

Throughout 2024, many companies have introduced new technologies that enhance wound care treatments or practices for wound care nurses and other healthcare professionals. These include:

• Coloplast developed a new silicone fit foam dressing with 3D technology that matches the same shape and depth of a wound up to two centimeters deep.
• After conducting a study, Convatec developed a new wound hygiene protocol — cleanse, debride, refashion edges, and dress the wound. “This wound hygiene protocol is a new proposed standard of care that successfully treated hard-to-heal wounds by addressing the key local barriers to wound healing,” according to Convatec. Find the study here.
• Designs for Vision released the fluorescence-guided vision glasses called Reveal FC, which provides real-time pathogen detection and debridement aid.
• MPM Medical launched the RegeneCare HA, providing an 800-fold increase of hyaluronic acid and the ExcelSAP super sorbent dressings in various sizes
• Net Health Tissue Analytics has launched Circumferential Wound Imaging, which aims to enhance the documentation of wounds.
• Smith & Nephew launched an innovation in traditional negative pressure wound therapy with RENASYS EDGE System.
• Solventum introduced the first seven-day wear time dressing for use with their negative pressure system. This design decreases dressing change times and eliminates the need for cutting dressings.
• Urgo Medical introduced UrgoClean Ag, which uses negatively charged fibers to continuously debride the wound and provide antimicrobial coverage.

Ostomy management

1.     An increased focus on ostomy patient education and resources

In 2024, the ostomy specialty has seen increased advancements in resources and community support for ostomy patients, driven by organizations like the United Ostomy Association of America (UOAA).

UOAA has over 300 affiliated support groups designed to bring individuals with ostomies and their caregivers together, fostering a sense of community through shared experiences. The organization also has a comprehensive resource library tailored for both ostomy patients and caregivers, from tackling complex issues like navigating medical bills and insurance claims to guidelines for traveling with an ostomy.

In addition, their materials, such as the “New Ostomy Patient Guide” and several eating guides, are now available in Spanish, making resources more accessible and inclusive. Available to download or print, you can easily provide these supportive resources to your patients.

2.     More support for clinicians to provide effective patient education

Organizations have significantly increased their support for clinicians, providing them with comprehensive patient education resources and tools to enhance the care they deliver. See one example of this in Ostomy 101 Inc.

Ostomy 101 Inc. provides friendly and innovative resources in ostomy education and support for patients, caregivers, and clinicians. Within their program, they offer monthly Zoom classes co-hosted by an experienced nurse and ostomy patients that focus on aspects like maintaining an active lifestyle, expectations to have post-op, and tips for securing necessary ostomy supplies.

They also serve as a one-stop shop for ostomy-related information, offering valuable advice on preventing leaks, achieving comfort during sleep and bathing, and nutrition and guidance tailored to an individual’s lifestyle.

In addition, their support groups connect patients and caregivers with communities nationwide, ensuring that nobody feels alone during their ostomy journey. They also facilitate access to free samples from many manufacturers, allowing individuals to explore suitable product options to meet their individual needs.

With resources available in 50 countries and 27 different languages, the mission at Ostomy 101 Inc. is to enhance access to information and education and to support those with an ostomy as well as those that care for them, which includes you. For instance, now you can request a free Ostomy 101 Inc. postcard to give to your patients and provide it as a resource when discharging patients.

Final thoughts

Thank you for reading this quarter’s WCEI Buzz Report. At WCEI, we’re committed to helping healthcare professionals achieve their career goals while improving the quality of care they provide. Stay tuned for more insights, courses, and events to help you stay at the forefront of wound care.