Back On Your Feet

Getting you there is the mission at Russell Medical's Wound Care Center

STORY BY KAREN TREADWELL

Healogics wound care center. Phillips sees patients from across the Southeast. Her admonition, and that of her team, is that timely detection and treatment of any wound can’t wait.

Not all wounds heal on their own, and one treatment plan does not fit all patients or all wound types. Patients suffering from non-healing wounds are often living with three or four additional chronic conditions that negatively impact their ability to heal on their own. Age, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer are all factors that contribute to the inability to heal wounds. Patients who seek treatment with a primary care provider, urgent care facility or emergency room, could routinely be sent to the wound care center because of the advanced treatment options the center is equipped to manage.

Healing a wound can be a complicated process. Intravenous antibiotics are routinely administered because they reach the tissue faster and at higher concentrations than oral antibiotics. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be prescribed, as it helps the body’s oxygen-dependent wound-healing mechanisms function more efficiently, preventing amputations and saving lives. Collaboration is the key component in treatment. Patients are paired with a registered nurse case manager, as the clinical team addresses the nine essential steps of healing: restoring adequate blood flow and oxygenation; removing non-viable tissue; controlling infection; reducing swelling; optimizing the wound bed to maximize its healing potential; enhancing tissue growth; making recommendations to patients to not walk or bear weight on the affected extremities; controlling pain; and optimizing the patients’ general conditions. The clinical and decision-making pathways are defined by the type of wound the patient presents with at the first visit.

To aid in the healing process, patients and their families are educated on the goals and expectations. Following plans specific to wound types and patients’ healthcare needs helps patients get back to enjoying their lives. Patients do not need referrals, but their healing progress can be shared with primary doctors, especially since wound care involves in-depth medical intervention.

Education is another important aspect of the center’s role. Dr. Phillips serves as a preceptor for the Edward Via College of Osteopathic MedicineAuburn campus, and along with Bekah Kirtaneck, a fourth-year VCOM student, she shared a woundcare presentation on the fragility of the skin and wound care treatment options with the UAB Russell

A Mission of Helping the Body to Heal Properly

Clockwise from Above Left: Chronic wounds carry unrealized risks; The Wound Care Center staff at Russell Medical includes Taylor Strickland, Stacey Fuller, Melissa Dean, Karen Treadwell, Dr. Regina Phillips, Olyvia Clayton, Brandi Dunham and Benita Stowes; Hyperbaric oxygen therapy helps the body's healing mechanisms function more efficiently.

Medical Cancer Center team. She also presented an in-service on the identification and treatment of wounds to increase wound care awareness among Russell Medical nurses. Auburn University registered nurses, who also rotate through the clinic, are educated on identification, treatment and dressings for wounds. This sharing of knowledge is essential to ensuring the advancement of wound care to benefit more patients.

Last year, Phillips and her team were honored with their sixth Center of Distinction Award, and Phillips was one of five Healogics physicians from more than 600 wound care centers across the country to be presented with Healogics’ President’s Circle award, which is based on exceptional clinical outcomes. Because of their success, the team was recently selected by Healogics to participate in a six-month Diabetic Wagner grade 3 and 4 quality improvement project.

Using tools developed to measure weekly healing in diabetic wounds, the team collaborates with other centers across the country. The goal is to prevent stalled wound healing with visit frequency and through maintaining care that is direct and proportionate to the wound’s condition, as well as each patient’s care and choices.

The mission is to move patients closer to healing at every visit, so they can enjoy all the spring and summer activities they choose.

~ Karen Treadwell is program director at Russell Medical Wound Care Center.