Course Outline
Rev up your skin and wound care with the latest products and approaches.
Get up-to-date on practice
- Evidence-based therapies and skills for rapid wound healing
- Crucial lab values for wound assessment and monitoring
- Essential skin care and wound prevention techniques, including nutrition guidelines
- The Joint Commission’s latest pressure ulcer protocol
- HCPCS reimbursement codes
Select the right product for your patient
- More than 80 skin care products – liquid skin protectants, moisture barriers and moisturizers, and topical antifungals and antimicrobials
- More than 300 wound care products
- More than 150 additional skin and wound care products – including compression and conforming bandages, elastic bandage rolls, gauze, tape, and wound cleansers and pouches and more.
- Body mass index
- Wagner ulcer grade classification
- Braden scale
- Treatment algorithms
- Ankle-brachial index
- Selected references
- Manufacturer resource guide with Web addresses
Purpose of Activity
The purpose of the activity is to help an RN understand the anatomy and physiology of the skin, the phases of healing, the types of wounds, and the options for wound repair. Completion of this activity will ultimately result in the reduction of the incidence and prevalence of chronic wounds.
About Authors
Cathy Thomas Hess, RN, BSN, CWOCN
Founder and President of Wound Care Strategies, Inc. (operating as Well Care Strategies) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Author and Designer of TPSTM EMR software, a Meaningful Use certified workflow and management tool for clinical wound care settings; Editorial Advisory Board and Contributing Author for Advances in Skin and Wound Care; Past Board Member of the Wound, Continence & Ostomy Certification Board
Learning Objectives
- Explain the anatomy of the skin and point out the two layers and various strata.
- Classify wounds, ulcers and burns by their characteristics.
- List 6 functions of the skin.
- Explain the three-phase wound healing process.
- Describe 3 types of wound repair.
- Identify local and systemic factors that impede wound healing.
- List 5 most common wound-healing complications.
- List 7 factors that you should include in assessing and documenting wounds.
- Describe 3 types of wound classification systems.
- Understand wound etiology based on cause, underlying medical conditions and treatment to date.
- Classify wounds by stages, thickness and color.
- Distinguish among arterial, diabetic and venous ulcers on the basis of predisposing factors,
- Demonstrate wound depth measuring technique.
- Explain wound and skin assessment technique.
- Define the goal in wound care.
- List 6 parameters that you would consider in selecting an ideal dressing.
- Demonstrate swab-culturing technique.
- List 4 common antiseptic solutions, their actions and special considerations in their application.
- Demonstrate irrigating with a piston syringe and catheter.
- Describe and distinguish between enzymatic and mechanical debridement.
- Demonstrate wound-cleaning technique.
- Demonstrate the technique for packing a wound and outline the procedure for wound pouching.
- Outline 6 guidelines to apply a new dressing.
- Identify 15 categories of patients who are at risk for pressure ulcers.
- Point out common pressure ulcer sites in various anatomic locations that are susceptible to pressure ulcer formation.
- Describe at least 3 commonly-used scales for pressure ulcer formation risk assessment.
- Guide through an algorithm to effectively assess, plan, intervene and evaluate wounds.
- Prescribe a turning and repositioning schedule for the patient.
- Provide 9 interventions to effectively manage a pressure ulcer.
- Compare 6 classes of support surfaces in managing pressure ulcers.
- Select appropriate support surfaces to match the patient’s needs.
- Explain advantages and disadvantages of support surfaces.
- List at least 12 categories under which wound care products are grouped.
- Select a wide assortment of wound care products in 12 categories, such as alginates, collagens, foams, hydrogels, etc.
- For each wound care product identify the manufacturer, and describe how it is supplied, its action, indications, contraindications, application and removal.
Course Contents
- Skincare and wound prevention strategies
- Assessing and documenting chronic wounds
- Types of chronic wounds
- Laboratory values in chronic wound management
- Developing a skin and wound care formulary
- Tissue load management
- Wound care and the regulatory process
- Skincare products
- Overview
- Antifungals and antimicrobials
- Liquid skin protectants
- Moisture barriers
- Skin cleansers
- Therapeutic moisturizers
- Wound care products
- DRESSING AND DEVICES
- Overview
- Alginates
- Antimicrobials
- Collagens
- Composites
- Contact layers
- Foams
- Hydrocolloids
- Hydrogels
- Specialty absorptives
- Surgical supplies, miscellaneous
- Transparent films
- Wound fillers
- Other products
- DRUGS
- Overview
- Products
- Overview
- Abdominal dressing holders and binders
- Compression bandage systems
- Conforming bandages
- Elastic bandage rolls
- Gauze, impregnated with water or normal saline, without adhesive
- Gauze, nonimpregnated, with adhesive border
- Gauze, nonimpregnated, without adhesive border
- Tapes
- Wound cleansers
- Body mass index
- Wagner ulcer grade classification
- Braden scale
- Treatment algorithm for pressure ulcers
- Treatment algorithm for arterial ulcers
- Treatment algorithm for venous ulcers
- Treatment algorithm for diabetic ulcers
- Treatment algorithm for diabetic ulcer wound care
- Laboratory tests to rule out atypical causes of leg ulcers
- Ankle-brachial index use in patients with diabetes
Customer Comments
“This is an excellent guide for a nurse in a hospital setting. An excellent source of information.”
– L.P., LVN, CA
“I thoroughly enjoyed & appreciated this course. It met all of my expectations with sincere clarity. Thank you!”
– D.G., RN, CA