A unique service to Boone County Hospital is the Wound Clinic. Wound care has been offered by specialists at the hospital for more than 20 years.
The Wound Clinic staff consists of three wound care nurses—Ruth Anderson, CWS (Certified Wound Care Specialist), Cathy Wetzeler, CWOCN (Certified Wound Ostomy Continence Nurse) and Char Wilkening, CWS. In addition to working in the Wound Clinic, Ruth works in Home Care and Cathy provides wound consults on the floor, contracts with the in-town nursing homes and is an instructor at the Des Moines Area Community College. Char is a retired BCH nurse that works in the clinic on Thursdays.
Wounds can be caused by a number of things including accidents, burns, traumatic injuries, various ulcers, and can also be a result of surgery. The nurses in the clinic perform wound assessments and determine treatment plans under the direction of Dr. Richard Unger, Wound Clinic Medical Director. They typically see 15 to 20 patients on Thursday; one to four patients on Monday. Patients come from Boone County and surrounding areas.
Through the years, the BCH Wound Clinic nurses have become nationally known. Each year, they are asked by a medical device company called Southwest Technologies Inc. to make an abstract and present their findings at a national wound care conference. The abstract includes information on a specific product they are using on several of their patients, the objectives, the rationale, case studies and a conclusion, as well as before and after pictures of the wounds. At the end of April, all three nurses submitted an abstract on “Clinical Case Studies Utilizing Hydrolyzed Collage Powder to Effectively Heal a Variety of Wounds” for a wound care conference in Tampa, Florida and Ruth and Cathy presented it. In addition to being guest speakers, they also attended four days of classes. “It’s important for us to attend all of the classes,” says Ruth. Cathy adds, “We learn something new every time we go.” In the fall, they will go to a conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
Researchers and companies at the national conventions share information on the latest evidence-based research related to new and existing wound care products.
Individuals with wounds are often referred to the Wound Clinic by their physician. The Wound Clinic is open on Thursdays and as needed any other day of the week. The staff is available to make presentations and will do inservices if requested. For more information, contact the Wound Clinic at 433-8337. |