The ‘7 Steps of Wound Management’ at Northwest Health’s Wound Care Centers
7/19/2022
As a patient with a wound, why should you receive care from a wound center? To most, when you notice a wound, you might first think of going to your primary care doctor, urgent care or podiatrist. But just like how you might be referred to a cardiologist for a heart condition, patients with wounds would benefit from the care of a wound center.
A comprehensive wound center possesses highly skilled medical staff specialized in wound care treatment. The wound centers at Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville and Northwest Medical Center – Springdale follow a multidisciplinary approach and offer evidence-based wound care to aggressively treat non-healing wounds. With this seven-step method, our wound center team treats the whole person, not just the wound.
The 7 Steps of Wound Management
The 7 Steps of Wound Management provide an organized clinical practice pathway to ensure assessment and management of wounds in our wound center. As the foundation for everything our wound center team does clinically, The 7 Steps are critical in the treatment of wound care patients.
- Blood Flow – For a wound to heal, it needs blood flow to bring it oxygen and other nutrients. Our wound center staff will perform a simple test to determine blood flow. Depending on the results of the test, our team may need to order advanced testing or a consultation with a vascular specialist.
- Treat Infection – Left untreated, wound infections can lead to delayed wound healing and serious complications like amputation. The center staff will exam each wound for signs and symptoms of infection and will check to see if you have a fever. They also may swab the wound to determine if bacteria is present and what type of treatment is needed.
- Debridement – Debridement is removing unhealthy tissue and bacteria to improve the chances of the remaining healthy tissue to heal. Research has shown that weekly debridement is a key factor in improving healing time and outcomes. Our wound center provider will use a sharp instrument, such as a scalpel, to remove unhealthy tissue and bacteria from the wound.
- Glucose Control and Nutrition – During the healing process, the body needs increased amounts of calories, protein and vitamins. In addition, when blood sugar levels are high, it affects the body’s ability to heal. The wound care team will perform a nutritional assessment and may recommend a specific nutrition plan to meet your wound healing needs and keep blood sugar levels in check.
- Offloading – Pressure or friction is a major reason wounds form. Reducing that pressure is key to wound healing. The team will utilize various options for offloading, which is taking pressure off a wound with special dressing or equipment. They include specialty shoes, dressings, cushions, mattresses and casts.
- Host Factors and Dressing Selection – Host factors refers to any underlying conditions or lifestyle factors that may impact your healing such as diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking or autoimmune disorders. Our team will determine the appropriate dressing for your particular wound type and situation.
- Advanced Modalities – Some wounds can be harder to heal. Once our staff has addressed the first six steps, they may recommend an advanced treatment to help heal your wound.
Human cellular and tissue-based products (skin substitutes) are made from natural or synthetic materials designed to replace the form and function of your skin and help promote faster wound healing.
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) treats conditions like diabetic foot ulcers, bone infections and radiation injuries. During hyperbaric oxygen therapy, you breathe 100% pure oxygen while inside a pressurized chamber which helps fill the blood with enough oxygen to repair tissues.
If you or a loved one has a wound, our team of experienced wound care specialists at Northwest Health are here to help. Our comprehensive wound center offers evidence-based, high-quality wound care that is close to home. Even the most difficult wounds that have not responded to other treatments may see significant improvement.
Northwest Medical Center – Bentonville Wound and Hyperbaric Center is located at 2900 Medical Center Parkway, Suite 140, and the Northwest Medical Center – Springdale center is located at 706A Quandt Ave. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the Bentonville center at (479) 553-3100 or the Springdale center at (479) 757-2030. No referral is required.
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