Don’t get wound up over wounds
This Wound Awareness Week, Bass Coast Health is urging people not to suffer from chronic wounds in silence. Such wounds can leave people debilitated and are almost always associated with underlying chronic diseases that affect blood supply or how the cells function at the wound site. Chronic wounds can include pressure injuries, diabetic ulcers and leg ulcers, but treatment is always available.
Bass Coast Health operates a Wound Clinic and a High Risk Foot Clinic to help patients. “Assessing the whole patient and Implementing an appropriate wound management plan early on is paramount to faster healing times, reducing the rates of infections, antibiotic use, hospital admissions and other complications,” Wound Management Clinical Nurse Consultant Emilie Masi said. Ms Masi laises with allied health such as podiatry, dieticians, lymphoedema practitioners, diabetic nurse educators and occupational therapists, and other clinical staff.
Anyone with a wound that is not responding to current treatment can be referred to Wound Management Clinical Nurse Consultant by other health care professionals such as a General Practitioner, District Nursing, aged care facilities, Allied Health professions and specialists. The High Risk Foot Clinic helps patients with wounds on their feet to receive quicker access to a podiatrist and wound care nurse. “The clinic treats all wounds below the ankle and we liaise with the client’s GP, district nursing, vascular team and others involved in their care,” Senior Podiatrist Rebecca Ringrose said. “We create a wound management plan and share this with other health professionals involved so we are all following the same treatment and goals.”
The clinic team has telehealth links with Monash Health’s High Risk Foot Clinic and vascular team to save clients from travelling to Melbourne as often. “The majority of patients have diabetes, peripheral arterial disease and or peripheral neuropathy, a condition where the feet become numb,” Ms Ringrose said.
“These conditions lead to foot ulceration and this in turn can lead to infections, gangrene and amputations if not treated promptly by a range of health professionals working together.” “In the High Risk Foot Clinic, we clean the wound, choose appropriate dressings and organise padding and correct footwear to relieve pressure on the wound.” Anyone with a non-healing wound below the ankle can attend. Simple acute wounds can often be treated by the GP and practice nurse or the client’s regular podiatrist, but if a wound has not improved over four weeks, the patient should be referred to the High Risk Foot Clinic. Referral is needed from a GP or healthcare professional. Wound referrals are prioritised and clients should receive an appointment within 1-2 weeks. Contact BCH’s Access Team (5671 3175) for an appointment.
