Psychological Stress and Delayed Wound Healing: A Novel Approach to Increase Nursing Awareness and Knowledge

Background: Chronic wounds afflict individuals in a broad age range with varying co-morbidities. A common factor among those experiencing delayed healing is elevated psychosocial stress. Ongoing research links elevated levels of endogenous chemicals in organisms undergoing stress to increased healing time and suggests that stress-reduction interventions may improve wound healing. Current findings support roles for assessment and reduction of psychosocial stress in the comprehensive management of chronic wounds, however, a gap remains between current research and current practice in this area.

Purpose: My long-term goal is to improve wound healing and prevent development of chronic wounds. The purpose of this project is to educate nurses on the importance of stress reduction to facilitate wound healing through the use of novel educational modules that incorporate state-of-the-art technology and that are sensitive to preferred learning styles of nurses.

Objectives:

1.      Identify and summarize essential evidence-supported content on stress and wound healing.

2.      Identify three distinct learning styles that vary in use of technology to deliver information.

3.      Design three modules containing similar content on stress and wound healing, while differing in format based on learning style and type of technology.

Outcomes: Findings from the extant literature show that effective education delivery considers different learning styles. Provision of material adapted to meet the needs of visual, auditory, and tactile learners improves participation and retention of information. Novel educational approaches in this project include podcast, YouTube video, and printed text, selected per learner preference. Each format will include information on psychosocial stress, assessment techniques, and stress-reduction interventions. The module design will allow for review sessions of no more than 10 minutes. Through increased awareness and knowledge of psychosocial stress and its impact on healing, nursing interventions to reduce stress may be improved and thereby facilitate healing and prevent chronic wound development as an outcome.