A Patient Navigation Model to Improve Complex Wound Care Outcomes.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery models
• Interprofessional collaboration
• Wound care management

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated innovative healthcare delivery methods.
• Complex wound care requires interprofessional team assessments.
• Existing models faced challenges in providing continuous, integrated care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a blended format model for interprofessional team assessments of patients with complex wounds.
• To implement a quality improvement process for navigating complex wound care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Main Methods:

• A blended remote team model was established, linking home-based patient interviews with virtual consultations.
• The model included a wound care nurse specialist and an advanced wound care doctor.
• The Wound Bed Preparation 2021 components were integrated into the assessment process.

Main Results:

• 48 patients were managed by the interprofessional team between April 2020 and 2021.
• Significant improvements were observed: 29% wound closure, 66% wound surface area reduction, 73% pain reduction, and 79% appropriate infection management.
• Healthcare utilization decreased: 73% reduction in nursing visits and 77% decrease in supply usage.

Conclusions:

• The blended virtual and home-based assessment model effectively utilized the Wound Bed Preparation Paradigm 2021 for complex wounds.
• Patient navigation within this blended model demonstrated benefits for patients and improved healthcare system efficiency.
• Projected cost savings were identified as a key outcome of this innovative care model.