Wound Care Management

A complete skin and wound assessment is done on every patient upon admission to CSH by a Certified Wound Care Registered Nurse. The wound care program focuses on several facets of skin and wound management. An individualized treatment plan is formulated for each patient focusing on existing skin and wound issues and the prevention of new skin problems.

One of the most important aspects of our wound care program is prevention of skin breakdown. So many factors affect the health of a patient’s skin, so our physicians, nurses and dietitians monitor disease processes, nutritional health and hydration on an ongoing basis.

Individualized wound care program

All of the hospital disciplines participate in and provide input to the wound care program. The Wound Care Nurse takes the team’s recommendations and implements a comprehensive, individualized wound care program that may include:

• Use of a specialized pressure reducing mattress
• Use of a specialized pressure reducing chair or wheel chair cushion
• Monitoring lab work for issues such as protein depletion or dehydration
• Implementation of wound care protocols to prevent skin breakdown and promote healing
• Use of negative-pressure wound therapy, commonly referred to as Wound-Vac
• Patient and family teaching to prevent future skin breakdown

The entire clinical team manages a patient’s skin condition and wound care with frequent skin assessments. Wounds are photographed and measured, and treatment plans are reviewed weekly to track progress and monitor treatment plan effectiveness.

Our goal is to manage a patient’s wound aggressively during his or her stay at CSH, with consideration for on-going care as needed after s/he is discharged.