May 8 wound management program provides practical skills and an holistic approach for limited resource settings
April 12, 2007In response to significant need and popular demand, a new Rural Health Education Foundation program airing on Tuesday 8 May 2007 provides GPs, nurses, pharmacists, podiatrists, Aboriginal Health Workers and other health professionals with the latest wound management know-how.
Wound Management: A Holistic Approach and Practical Skills Update, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, also discusses the need to take into account various factors about the patient, the patient’s family and living conditions, and the community.
The all new program, which airs on the Foundation’s satellite network at 8pm (EST) on Tuesday 8 May, with a repeat at 12.30pm on Friday 11 May, includes a hands-on practical skills demonstration.
Program presented by experts
The program features well-known experts in the field of wound management, including Associate Professor Michael Woodward (pictured), Geriatrician and President of the Australian Wound Management Association and Medical Director of the Aged & Residential Care at Austin Health in Melbourne. Michael is also Head of the Wound Clinic at Austin Health, where he is involved in several research trials of new therapies for wound healing.
The program also includes Geoff Sussman, pharmacist and Director of the Wound Education and Research Group at Monash University; Jason Warnock, the Honorary Program Manager for the Indigenous Diabetic Foot (IDF) Program; Di Smith, a GP who has worked for years in wound management and in teaching fellow medical practitioners; and Margo Asimus, a nurse practitioner with extensive experience in wound management whose work covers a lot of rural ground in the Hunter New England area.
Wounds a significant and complex problem
Wounds are a significant and complex problem. Chronic leg ulcers, for example, impair the quality of life of 1 in 100 Australians, and costs over $400 million annually to treat (Baker & Stacey, 1994 1). In addition, a study by the Wound Education and Research Group found a 25% prevalence of ulcer among people in nursing homes. Wound dressing is the second most frequent procedural treatment in primary care (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2004).
Wounds are commonly related to injury. Injury itself is a national health priority area, and the most prevalent cause of morbidity and mortality in rural areas, particularly among Indigenous communities. Compounding this, chronic conditions such as diabetes and immobilisation related to advancing age, also influence the development and healing of wounds. Poor nutrition, often found in rural and remote areas where fresh foods are limited, also plays a significant role in impeding wound healing. Therefore, rural areas are burdened by a higher prevalence of harder-to-manage wounds.
Practical skills for limited resource settings to help wounds heal
According to Professor Michael Woodward, “most wounds can be healed and modern wound management works.” This program provides an update in practical wound management skills.
It also includes a hands-on practical skills demonstration and useful tips in order, as Margo Asimus says, “to provide cost effective treatment - even though we are fairly restricted in the bush - to provide good healing outcomes.” Margo emphasises the importance of establishing a proper diagnosis to find out why a wound is not healing.
Holistic approach
Practical skills need to be complemented with the ability to provide holistic management. “Treat the whole patient and not the hole in the patient,” says Geoff Sussman. “When you heal the wound, you don’t stop.”
Jason Warnock emphasises this need for preventative solutions. Jason says people need to be guided to look after their feet and themselves, and it is very important to do so in a language they understand.
More information
For full details of the program, visit the Wound Management: A Holistic Approach and Practical Skills Update program page.
