For many individuals, especially the ill, disabled, and elderly, spending extended time lying or sitting in the same position is unavoidable.
For those individuals who cannot move about or hardly move at all, the potential of developing bedsores (requiring wound care specialists for treatment) increases significantly.
Bedsore (pressure sore, pressure ulcer, decubitus ulcer) is caused by pressure on the body, which can kill or damage skin and result in an open life-threatening wound.
Unfortunately, bedsores are too common in medical facility environments, including assisted living and nursing homes.
Even though medical professionals are trained to provide quality care, many are often challenged with keeping patients bedsore free.
As a result, some nursing homes are turning to outside wound care specialists for help.
How Bedsores Develop
A bedsore is caused when pressure is applied to the skin, reducing blood flow to the area.
The pressure can be the weight of the patient’s body on a mattress or chair or one body part resting on another.
Without adequate blood flow, the skin dies within hours from lack of oxygen and nutrients. If left untreated, an ulcer will develop in the area, causing an open wound, which can easily damage muscle and bone.
Pressure ulcers are more likely to occur in individuals who are bed bound or wheelchair-bound for an extended time.
The elderly are highly susceptible, as are those suffering specific medical conditions and diseases that affect blood flow, including vascular conditions and diabetes.
Individuals that have fragile skin, are malnourished, unable to move due to paralysis from brain/spine injury, or suffer from bowel or urinary incontinence are also at significant risk.
Bringing in Outside Help After a Wound Progresses
Many nursing homes are overwhelmed with managing their elderly, sick, or disabled patients. In many incidences, the home is understaffed, or their professionals lack specific training on minimizing the development of pressure sores.
As a result, many of their patients do not receive the extensive wound care necessary to eliminate the potential of Stage I or Stage II pressure sores progressing to advancing stages. (look here for more discussion on the stages of bed sores)
Wound management methods and techniques are complex, and wound treatment advancements are evolving.
As a result, wound care specialists can provide a unique option for nursing homes by bringing in outside teams of expert physicians and staff trained specifically in managing bedsores directly to the patient’s bedside.
Using skilled professionals who specialize in chronic wounds using multidisciplinary methods has produced phenomenal results in many incidences.
In many incidences, nursing home patients see a reduction in the size of their bedsores by up to 25 percent in the first month when a wound care specialist is available. (look here for graphic photos used to identify bedsore stages)
Qualified Bedside Treatment
The outside wound care specialists brought to the patient’s bedside are highly skilled in providing the best treatment for the patient.
In addition to developing and implementing a multidisciplinary approach to care for the wound, the staff educates nursing facility medical staff on the best practices of using wound dressings and other proven methods involving effective healing tools.
Additionally, the outside wound care specialists brought in to help heal the patient’s bedsores use a hands-on approach by debriding wounds on patients suffering from necrotic tissue or slough.
As a result, the patient’s wound tends to heal quicker, minimizing the need for hospital readmission or transfer to other clinics.
Wound care specialists properly managing chronic issues tend to decrease morbidity. For many patients, preventing the advancement of existing bedsores allows them to rehabilitate from an illness or condition more quickly.
Making a Wound Care Specialist Available: The Need for Outside Help
Statistics maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information indicate a significant rise in the number of individuals suffering from bedsores. These numbers have escalated to 63 percent more annual cases than a decade ago.
Many of these cases are occurring at nursing homes across the nation.
Many nursing care facilities have serious problems managing wound care for patients with bedsores.
In many incidences, the patient’s Stage I or Stage II pressure sore will progress to a life-threatening condition while under the care of the nursing home staff. As a result, the numbers of nursing home lawsuits against nursing homes are on the rise.
These suits are filed by surviving family members of victims who have died from bedsores acquired while at the nursing facility.
