Care of Wound Complications in Home Care

1. Wound Complications in the Home

Infection, wound deteriorations, and stalled healing can impede patient goals in home care for a healing wound. We will discuss each of these common complications, how to identify them early in some cases, and beginning strategies to work on improving patient outcomes. A patient example will be introduced that will be referred to throughout the course for illustration purposes.

2. Wound-Related Anatomy and Proper Descriptors of Findings

Properly identifying a wound's anatomy and describing its characteristics is extremely important for a patient's continuity of care as well as being able to identify changes from one home visit to the next. We will discuss what healthy and nonhealthy tissue looks like and how it can be described. Measuring wounds properly and describing drainage will also be addressed.

3. Documentation, Documentation, Documentation

Every home care clinician knows that documentation consumes a large portion of the patient home visit. Although it can be overwhelming, correctly documenting on wounds is vital, as improper or missing documentation can hold up or even lead to a denial of payment. This chapter will discuss how to document correctly and what facts specifically need to be included in wound-related documentation. A patient example with appropriate documentation will be shown.

4. Facilitating Collaborative Care With Physicians

Home care clinicians often need to update and collaborate with a physician and the physician's office to coordinate patient care. This can be difficult at times when trying to voice concerns and needs for a patient with wounds and various problems that can go along with them. This chapter will go over techniques that can facilitate this communication. A patient example with communication to the physician and related documentation will be demonstrated.