WOUND BLOG by Matthew Livingston RN

Strategies for building a wound related  ‘present on admission’ program should  include optimizing wound and skin care. First, it is important to consider how the hospital plans to educate the staff responsible for assessing patient’s skin and wounds. Options include (but are not limited to) creating a wound care related website, chart inserts, or small handheld cards that can be carried by the nurse. Each of these should provide visual comparisions between staged wounds and other basic skin conditions. Creating a wound rounds program with a team (from wound care, dietary, PT, etc…) is also a very useful as a teaching tool for nurses to better understand wound conditions. Secondly, providing standing orders  allows for prompt patient care and may prevent worsening pressure related ulcers. Consider drafting standing orders that reflect the scope of practice of the clinician.  Also develop a plan to pilot and spread the standing orders throughout the organization.