Adjusting the Wound Treatment Associate Program to Enhance Knowledge of Physician Assistants in a Large Cancer Center

Problem: The United States spends $25 billion annually on treatment of chronic wounds (Sen et al, 2009). The need for managing acute wounds with a cost effective plan of care is on the rise as institutions are shortening hospital length of stay. At a world renowned cancer center with many complex wounds, physician assistants (PAs), educated in the medical model with limited wound management education, manage complex patients on the Gynecologic & Gastrointestinal Surgical services. The PAs expressed interest in collaborating with the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence (WOC) nurses to learn about strategies to improve patients’ outcomes with complex wounds using the Wound Treatment Associate Program (WTA).

Intervention: The WOC nurses and WTA Coordinators collaborated to create and tailor an individualized applied learning program which included additional didactic material (lecture and case studies) and hands-on skills practice for management of complex wounds and fistulas. Hands-on skills included application of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) (instillation and open abdominal wounds) and application of pouching devices for ostomies and enterocutaneous fistula (ECF).

Results: Preliminary feedback was positive. All 10 PAs completed the program, passed the final exam, and completed an evaluation.

Conclusion: This collaborative adaptation of the WTA program for PAs was simple and creative. It also added more WOC nurse extenders at this institution. This interprofessional initiative was an effective strategy to improve patients’ outcomes with complex wounds, ostomies and fistulae.