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How To Manage Non-Healing Wounds
Wound-care centers treat people with chronic non-healing wounds that fail to show improvement in four weeks. Causes of non-healing wounds can include diabetic ulcers, poor circulation, trauma or even surgical wounds.
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Business New Haven
11/22/1999
By: Priscilla Searles
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Wound-care centers are one of the latest innovations in the medical field. Having evolved over the last decade, they have grown in popularity in the last few years. An array of new treatment options in wound care and expanded knowledge has made wound care one of the latest medical specialties.
Wound-care centers treat people with chronic non-healing wounds that fail to show improvement in four weeks. Causes of non-healing wounds can include diabetic ulcers, poor circulation, trauma or even surgical wounds.
But why a wound-care center, and not your regular doctor? Doctors have come to realize that, in some cases, wound-care centers are better equipped to deal with certain problems. Many physicians will refer their patients to a wound-care center if they believe a particular wound is not responding to treatment. And wound-care centers take into consideration all medical problems, not just the wound.
Patients have a responsibility to do their homework when being treated for any medical problem. People can no longer put all of their faith in medical treatment without doing some research and asking the right questions. So if you think you're a candidate for a wound-care center, write down your questions and be prepared to get answers before choosing a wound-care facility.
The first item on your list should be specific questions concerning the medical support system. The better ones will have a multi-specialty team of surgeons with different specialties such as general surgery, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, orthopaedic and podiatry. In addition, the regular staff such as nurses must have knowledge and training in wound care and knowledge of various treatment options.
If the facility has given answers that are acceptable, ask more questions. Don't forget to ask how long the facility has been in business and what is its healing outcome, or percentage of success, rate.
Will you maintain contact with your regular physician and visiting nurses? Will the wound-care facility seek the most cost-effective way to heal your wound? Can the facility help you find the supplies you will need and will you be able to reach the facility after hours? Are there ways to control an infection without going into the hospital? How often do you need to return to the facility? Will you be working with the same coordinator each time, or will you encounter a different person every visit? You want to work with someone who is familiar with your case, not just a person who reads your history five minutes before you arrive.
If you are in a wheelchair, does the facility have the equipment needed to transfer you from the chair? What can you expect during treatment - will there be debridement (scrapping off dead tissue)? Will the facility assist with insurance issues? How often will you have to return for treatment? Many patients will already be working with visiting nurses in addition to their doctor.
It's important to know what your responsibilities are in your treatment. What are your responsibilities to help your wounds heal? Better wound-care centers will ask patients to sign an agreement that points out the patient's responsibilities in treatment of their wound. Medical treatment today should be a partnership between you and the health professionals. The more questions you ask, the more likely you will receive optimum treatment.
One of the first responsibilities a person has is to be honest and forthright about his medical needs. People often procrastinate about wounds, saying the wound is getting better, or worse, pretending it isn't there and praying at the same time that it will go away. Quiet worry about a problem is a lot more nerve-racking than confronting the actual solution to the problem.
A call to a wound-care facility to describe your situation might result in some peace of mind. The professionals are there to answer your questions, and a phone call is the right first step in finding out if a wound-care facility is what you need.
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