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- Title
Improvement in community wound management: why simple changes in clinical practice matter.
- Authors
Nilsson, Monica; Hughes, Jacqui; Styche, Tim; Knudsen, Jane Thinggaard
- Abstract
Background/Aims: Wounds continue to be an increasing burden to society, healthcare systems and patients. Wound care is an urgent challenge that requires new management strategies to help facilitate wound healing. This study aimed to evaluate an early intervention wound project facilitated by the COMPASS programme in a Swedish community setting in terms of treatment outcomes and health economic benefits. Methods: An evaluation of wound care practice was completed using data collected on all wounds treated in 1 week in March 2021 (n=97). Single-use negative pressure wound therapy (sNPWT) was then introduced, alongside specialist education for all nurses. A post-intervention evaluation was carried out the following year with data on all wounds treated in 1 week in October 2022 (n=36). The samples were compared in terms of proportion of static and deteriorating wounds, wound characteristics, average number of dressing changes per wound and proportion of wounds requiring the patient to be admitted to hospital or referred to a specialist. Costs of care were calculated and compared for the two samples. Results: Wounds in the post-intervention dataset were in a better overall condition (size and depth), with a lower proportion being classified as static or deteriorating (58.8% vs 44.4%). There was a non-significant difference in the average number of dressing changes required per week, with post-intervention wounds requiring fewer changes. A significantly lower proportion of patients required a referral to a specialist in the post-intervention sample compared to the pre-intervention sample (43.3% vs 16.7%; P<0.01). Conclusions: Implementing a sNPWT pathway, alongside nurse education and increased involvement of nurses with specialist knowledge, can help to improve wound care outcomes and reduce the burden of wounds on nursing time and healthcare resources.
- Subjects
SWEDEN; WOUND healing; WOUNDS &; injuries; EARLY medical intervention; COMMUNITY health nursing; LEG ulcers; EVALUATION of human services programs; BANDAGES &; bandaging; TREATMENT effectiveness; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; NURSING education; FOOT ulcers; NEGATIVE-pressure wound therapy; ECONOMIC impact; WOUND care; COMPARATIVE studies; SURGICAL dressings; EXUDATES &; transudates; MEDICAL care costs; PRESSURE ulcers; SURGICAL site
- Publication
British Journal of Healthcare Management, 2024, Vol 30, Issue 5, p1
- ISSN
1358-0574
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.12968/bjhc.2023.0118