The Future of Wound Care

• Published in: AORN journal Vol. 107; no. 4; pp. 427 - 429
• Main Author: Criscitelli, Theresa, EdD, RN, CNOR
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.04.2018
• Subjects: Amputation; Innovations; Medical/Surgical; Medicare; Nursing; Software; Wound healing
• ISSN: 1878-0369; 0001-2092; 1878-0369
• DOI: 10.1002/aorn.12118

Perioperative nurses encounter wound care patients on a daily basis because of the steady rise of wound care centers and the specialized medical and surgical care that is required to promote positive patient outcomes.[...]it is imperative that perioperative nurses better understand chronic wounds and their treatment options.[...]Medicare Part B has limited the conditions covered for hyperbaric oxygen therapy and for diabetic wounds, whereby three criteria must exist before a patient is eligible for this therapy.4 These three criteria include having a lower extremity wound that is directly related to diabetes, having a wound classified as Wagner grade III or higher, and having failed an adequate course of standard wound therapy.The plethora of financial challenges that hospitals face to provide these services must be navigated with cautious optimism, and hospital leaders must promote a balance of cost containment while never losing sight of the goal of positive patient outcomes.[...]regenerative treatment modalities, such as biologic scaffolds, allogeneic or autologous stem cells, and recombinant growth factors, must be scrutinized and selected carefully to balance costs with what is best for the healing of wounds.Appropriate and timely treatment helps prevent extensive surgery and ultimately prevents the need for amputation.[...]providing the optimum treatment modalities is vital to maximize the ability for a wound to heal.