1593 The use of PACE a patient education tool for the management of venous leg ulcers

Tillie Maria Jones, BS, RN, CWOCN, DAPWCA, FMNLI, Kennedy Health System, Wound Care Specialist, Cherry Hill, NJ
Venous insufficiency is a chronic debilitating disease characterized by painful leg ulcerations. An estimated half million Americans suffer from venous leg ulcers (VLU) with two million work days lost annually (1). VLUs have created an increased burden on healthcare delivery systems (2), exceeding in cost up to $40,000 annually (3). To date little research has been conducted to provide patients with simple easy to read, learn and recall educational tools for VLUs. The purpose of this abstract is to describe an educational tool PACE, an acronym for Pump your ankles, Ambulate, wear Compression wraps/stockings and Elevate legs for the reduction and prevention of VLU. The PACE tool is designed to reduce the recurrence of VLU, improve quality of life (QOL) and promote self-efficacy. PACE is an easy to read, learn and recall tool developed on a 6thgrade reading level to help patients improve their QOL and heal VLUs. By promoting self-efficacy in the management of VLUs, patients may reduce the number of reccurrences and regain control over their health. The PACE tool differs from existing patient-focused approaches to VLUs, which have focused solely on treatment modalities. In contrast, PACE aims to empower patients by enhancing their self-efficacy in the management of VLUs. Further testing and research of the PACE tool is recommended to determine its effectiveness among individuals with low health literacy and its psychometric properties.

Key words: venous leg ulcer, arterial, & neuropathic ulcers; PACE, ACE, compression wraps, ABI, chronic venous insufficiency, self-efficacy, calf muscle pump, and health literacy.