June is Wound Healing Awareness Month, which was created to recognize the need for certified wound care professionals and promote proper wound care for all.
Bethany Children’s wound care team is a multidisciplinary team comprised of physicians/nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physical therapist, and registered dietitians. The goals of the team include:
- improve communication among providers to facilitate the patient’s plan of care and promote wound healing
- increase education among providers, staff and families in regards to wound management/healing
- identify patients at risk and decrease incidence of hospital acquired wounds
- collaborate to provide wound care interventions and decrease risk of further wound related complications.
The team consists of Bucy Thomas, APRN; Physical therapists Melanie Milbourn and Adrienne Norlin; Physical therapy assistants Teresa Adkison and Helen Oliva; Dietitian Jennifer Postlethwaite, and Leah Burns, BSN, RN CPN.
Bucy Thomas has a wound and ostomy advance practice certification. She receives referrals from internal and external providers and reviews referred patients’ charts to recommend a treatment plan for wound management. She sees the patient with their physical therapist, who manages routine dressing changes and documents wound progressions with the help of a physical therapy assistant. Bucy is available to address any concerns that might arise.
“We discuss any existing wounds in our routine meetings and make recommendations,” Bucy explains. “Our therapists play a significant role in wound prevention and management by assessing and providing proper equipment and positioning for patients.”
Routinely turning and repositioning patients is important in relieving pressure and ensuring adequate blood perfusion to the skin and soft tissues, especially in at-risk areas, such as at the heels, the sacrum, the hips, elbows, ischia, and the base of the skull.
Jennifer Postlethwaite reviews patients’ charts and makes recommendations for proper nutrition for wound healing. Complete proteins that supply the body with essential amino acids are an important part of a diet that aids in wound healing.
As a nurse educator, Leah Burns ensures that the nursing staff has adequate resources and training to manage and prevent wounds while patients are in our care.
The wound care team at Bethany Children’s managed 48 wounds tracked from January – April 2023. Bucy says, “We offer expertise in helping children overcome non-healing wounds with great results and success in preventing recurrence. We pride ourselves on helping kids with any type of wound, even complex wounds or ones that have failed treatment elsewhere.”
Please join us in thanking the wound care team for their collaborative efforts to heal and prevent wounds at Bethany Children’s.