The WOCN Society 40th Annual Conference (June 21-25th, 2008)


2225

Are our current wound therapies being effective? – wound measurement as an important outcome measure

Susan Hill, RN, BSN, CWOCN, Banner Baywood Medical Center and Banner Baywood Heart Hospital, Director of WOC Department, 6644 East Baywood Avenue, Mesa, AZ 85206

Wound assessment is a complex process that’s helps to determine etiology and the progress of healing over time. Wound measurement is an important component of this and has the potential to provide baseline measurements and to monitor healing rates so that treatment outcomes can be predicted, Flanagan (2003). Several studies have identified that wound measurement, in combination with a consideration of other factors, can be a predictor of healing rates and outcomes. This has found to be the case for diabetic foot ulcers and venous ulcers, for which the rate of healing in the first 4 weeks was strongly correlated with healing at 12 and 24 weeks, Romanelli (2005).

 

Important components of our wound assessment process are area and volume measurements, which are documented over time. As the wound heals, in-growth of granulation tissue decreases the wound depth and volume, and new epithelium decreases wound area. Measurements of wound size provide direct indicators of healing.

 

A retrospective analysis of wound measurement of 9 patients was carried out. All patients were; >18 years of age, presented with acute or chronic wounds that were clean, open and granulating and were suitable to be dressed with a new collagen matrix dressing* for the evaluation period. The volume and area measurement of all patients was calculated and analyzed to determine the rate of wound healing. The results of the analysis will be presented and can help to confirm that our current treatment protocol for this type of wound is being effective.


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