Success of the WEF-CEP Patient Opinion Survey Relies on Great Wound Teams!
Why is the survey important to you? The opinion survey for people with wounds was administered to either thepatient with a wound or their caregiver if they were unable to answer for themselves. It allowed the opinions an avenue to be expressed regarding what is important to them in the healing PROCESS of a wound. It identified that there is a process to wound healing that can be measured and not just by wound closure. The results gathered illustrate that pain, wound odor, scarring, potential infection, use of antibiotics, elimination of dead tissue, blood flow to a wound, strength of the healing wound, reduction of possible amputations, and associated costs for treatment were all considerations to people with wounds and not just wound closure.
It was important for me to help people with wounds know they have a voice
What have I learned from the patients who completed the survey? Gathering the data revealed people with wounds have a long and sometimesembarrassing road ahead of them before a wound closes. One patient talked about the odor of a wound and feeling isolated that bystanders would verbalize the words “what is that horrible smell”, knowing it was their wound. They worried that after the wound healed it would just open again. The wound was always a concern for possible local or even systemic infection. Dressing supply costs and co pays to wound centers were a concern. Most men did not care about scarring but most women did. Every participant expressed a true concern for the loss of a digit or limb through amputation. All of the patients surveyed were happy to be part of something that could somehow effect positive change for all wound closure.
Do you have a ‘pearl’ as to how best to present the survey to patients and family? I explained to each person involved in the survey that it was being done to
Why is this survey important to you? The importance is opening further communication with our patients.
interest in their own healing process.
We offer the survey to our patients as a way to help others improve wound |