I’ve recently begun a new consulting job, a combination of clinician education and patient consults. I realized again a common pattern among clinicians who are trying to get non-progressing wounds to move. Often a dressing is chosen because of a recollection that it helped another patient. While the choice may be a lucky one and make a difference, I strongly advocate that dressings be selected based on the wound context. If you have watched video segment 4, “Before You Dress,” you totally understand why considering the context is as important as knowing the characteristics of the dressing you choose. For example, I saw a lower extremity wound last week in which the clinicians were using a Collage/AG type dressing. The wound was covered with soft non-viable tissue. When I asked why this type of dressing had been chosen, the answer was that another clinician had recommended it based on previous experience. If the clinician had been wound-educated (which I hope she will be soon!), she would have looked at the wound context first, set a goal based on that context, and then would have chosen a dressing that would have the potential to impact wound progress. Subscribers, why don’t you go to our forum and post what you guess would be the correct goal based on the limited info I’ve given you here. If you get hung up, review video segment 4! And as always, remember those two questions…….

Thanks for allowing us to help you with your patients.

Keep on caring, Beth