Simplifying wound dressing selection for residential aged care.

Area of Science:

• Geriatric care
• Wound management
• Nursing practice

Background:

• Residential aged care facilities face challenges in effective wound management, particularly for elderly residents with complex needs.
• Existing wound care protocols can be complex, leading to inefficiencies and varied patient outcomes.
• Skin tears are a prevalent wound type in this demographic, requiring optimized treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a simplified wound dressing regimen for nurses in residential aged care.
• To develop a decision-tree tool to aid nurses in wound management.
• To assess the effectiveness and usability of new wound care products and protocols.

Main Methods:

• A three-phase study involving practice audits, cost analysis, and staff education on a simplified wound management protocol.
• Implementation of new wound care products and protocol for skin tears and other wounds.
• Evaluation of the protocol's effectiveness, including healing times and nursing staff feedback.

Main Results:

• The study included 93 residents and 178 wounds, with skin tears being the most common type (72.7%).
• Mean healing time for skin tears was significantly shorter (19.7 days) compared to other wounds (30.9 days) under the simplified protocol (p=0.0359).
• Nursing staff reported the simplified protocol products were easy to apply, remove, and conform well, with positive patient satisfaction and pain-free dressing removal.

Conclusions:

• The simplified wound dressing regimen proved effective and performed well in a residential aged care setting.
• The protocol simplified wound dressing selection for nursing staff, enhancing efficiency.
• The study supports the adoption of simplified wound care strategies to improve outcomes and satisfaction in aged care settings.