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Why Wound Care EMR Must be Considered for Pressure Ulcer Management

Author: Wound Wizard
by Wound Wizard
Posted: Mar 15, 2016

One of the amazing applications of wound care EMR is in the realm of long term care (LTC). Since it facilitates wound specific documentation, the care-giving team is kept updated regarding the details of the wound and the progress in healing, and it becomes easier for treating physicians to co-ordinate care and provide optimum treatment for patients. Patients admitted to nursing home facilities have a health hazard they must prevent themselves from contracting – pressure ulcers or bedsores.

It is well known that bedsores are better prevented than treated. Once a pressure ulcer develops it is hard, though not impossible, to get it under control. Most bedsores can be prevented. The appearance of a bedsore is sometimes considered a sign of poor care.

Efficiently Managing Pressure Ulcer Prevention

While pressure sores can be prevented, they do require effective management. Dedicated pressure ulcer prevention is essential. A fixed set of measures must be in place and followed strictly by the nursing home. In an era when litigation involving bedsores is rising, facilities that do not have a consistent process in place face an increased risk of litigation and regulatory burdens, not to mention the loss of reputation, and the perception that the facility does not take good care of its patients. With technological advancements such as dedicated wound management software, treatment and prevention of wounds has greater potential, and litigators and regulators would draw on that to highlight the lack of care at the nursing home.

Strictly Following the Protocol

Agencies such as the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, the American Medical Directors’ Association, and the Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nurses Society have established some basic standards. Based on research, following these standards does bring about reduced instances of pressure ulcers developed at the facility. It is also important to increase the level of exercise, which not only helps wound prevention but also aids in the management of weight, blood pressure, blood sugar and stress management, as well as reduction of musculoskeletal pain.

Specifically, the approach towards serious prevention and treatment of bedsores must involve:

  • Employing EMR, virtual medicine and tele-health options
  • Standardizing treatment protocol for a wide range of patient needs
  • Employing strategies for reducing the risk of injury to staff when caring for high-risk residents, and
  • Putting in practice an advanced, innovative and interdisciplinary treatment approach with physicians actively participating in its planning and conception

Employing Technology for Better Prevention

Nursing facilities should never hesitate to explore the latest technological options in wound management. To determine the right technology to be employed, the nursing home should set up a task force which would define the goals and requirements of the practice and evaluate and review technological solutions in the light of those parameters. The task force should contain a wound specialist, the nursing director, outcomes specialist and, of course, legal and IT consultants.

Security concerns such as HIPAA requirements, patient consent, photo encryption, etc must also be considered. The technology employed must ultimately facilitate more efficient prevention and management of pressure sores, and also improve the efficiency of the facility through streamlined functioning. And that’s where wound EMR comes in.

The Wound EMR Advantage

There are high tech solutions available which can help improve communication among caregivers, reduce paperwork redundancy, improve remote access to the expert assistance of certified wound specialists, and enhance transparency in the treatment. Advanced EMR for wounds fulfills all these requirements. It also increases the chances of healing after the bedsore has occurred, thanks to thorough monitoring with photos. Customization is the other major advantage.

Nursing home and LTC facilities stand to gain massively with advanced woundcare documentation software, though ultimately it is the patients who are benefited.

About the Author

Wound Wizard is a secure web based application that uses a Software as a Service (SAAS) model, giving you greater flexibility in managing your patient documentation in real time. For more information visit http://www.woundemr.com or call 855-968-6394

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Author: Wound Wizard

Wound Wizard

Member since: May 10, 2015
Published articles: 4

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