New resources are available to help build knowledge and capability among health staff to manage chronic wounds and improve patient outcomes.
The ACI's Primary, Integrated and Community Health Network continues to collaborate with the NSW Chronic Wound Management Taskforce to strengthen wound management services across NSW.
Over the past three months, the Taskforce has released a suite of new resources to support workforce development. These include new video content about social wellbeing and mental health when living with a chronic wound, a Chronic Wound Management Capability Framework and accompanying self-reflection tool.
“Evidence-based and person-centred chronic wound management is needed across the NSW health system,” says the ACI's Kate Kennett. “We’ve designed these resources to be used and adapted locally by a range of health organisations, services and individuals who provide care to consumers with chronic wounds.”
The role of social wellbeing and mental health
The ACI, in partnership with consumers, carers and clinicians, has produced a series of videos to raise awareness of the experience of living with a chronic wound.
The latest video resource shares perspectives on social wellbeing and mental health through the voices of consumers and healthcare workers from Sydney as well as rural and regional NSW.
The video highlights ways that healthcare workers can offer support to consumers with chronic wounds by:
- using patient reported measures, such as the WoundQ and Quality of Life assessments
- establishing referral pathways and linking consumers to appropriate wellbeing and mental health support services
- incorporating wellbeing and mental health into all wound management plans.
Julianne Whyte OAM, Chief Executive Officer of the community health and social services provider the Amaranth Foundation, shares her knowledge about wound care in the video and is enthusiastic about this new resource.
“We are using the videos as part of a promotion of collaborative care in community-based disability services," says Julianne. "Working with the ACI has changed our practice, and enabled us to shift from 'good enough' to 'expert care' in chronic wounds."
"We have included all staff in the training and use of the video, acknowledging the mental health cost of chronic wounds. There is no one solution to this issue.”
Every consumer has skin, and all health workers have a role to play in maintaining skin integrity. For people living with a wound, healthcare workers need to ensure timely and evidence-based management either from themselves or by escalating to a clinician with higher proficiency.
Building capability through self-reflection
The Chronic Wound Management Capability Framework and Self-Reflection Tool were developed by the ACI in partnership with wound management clinicians, the Health Education and Training Institute (HETI), and statewide consultation.
The framework helps healthcare workers, health services and education providers understand the knowledge, skills and management practices needed to reduce the risk of chronic wounds, and to provide effective and collaborative management for people living with chronic wounds.
Across six domains and a total of 26 capabilities, the framework describes the capability required:
- for the management of all types of chronic wounds
- in any setting where care is provided to people living with chronic wounds
- for healthcare workers from all clinical disciplines and levels of experience.
Accompanying the framework, the self-reflection tool will help healthcare workers identify their current level of wound management capability, recognise their existing strengths and plan for their future development. The tool is designed to be used by healthcare workers individually, with a mentor for personal learning or with a manager as part of professional development.
Nicola Gooden, a registered nurse at Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD, recently used the self-reflection tool before her annual performance appraisal.
“I found it to be a very practical tool that helped to clearly identify my current knowledge base and skillset," she says. "It’s most effective if you can work through the tool slowly, taking the time to make assessments on your own performance, knowledge and abilities. The tool then guides you on what is needed to upskill and fill the gaps identified.”
Learn more about Chronic Wound Management.