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A case was reported in the wake of stepping on a sharp nail in a board where the patient was given a Tetanus shot and sent home with advice to apply triple antibiotic cream twice a day and wrapping the injury with gauze along with oral antibiotics.
Open Journal PUBLISHERS Opinion Wound Care and Healthcare * Lydia A. Corum, RN, MSN, CWCN* Wound Care Program Director * *Corresponding author Lydia A. Corum, RN, MSN, CWCN Wound Care Program Director; E-mail: lydia.meyers317@gmail.com Article information nd th th nd Received: June 2 , 2020; Revised: August 10 , 2020; Accepted: August 13 , 2020; Published: September 2 , 2020 Cite this article Corum LA.Wound care and healthcare. Emerg Med Open J. 2020; 6(1): 1-2. doi: 10.17140/EMOJ-6-154 case was reported in the wake of stepping on a sharp nail in the future of wound care. This paper highlights what has caused a board where the patient was given a Tetanus shot and sent the problems, how the new normal will help the present, and what A home with advice to apply triple antibiotic cream twice a day and needs to happen in the future.
wrapping the injury with gauze along with oral antibiotics. The patient was suggested to soak his foot in Dakin’s Solution.. Health care has been facing challenges for many years. From the time of the depression become known to the days when The patient returns after 2 weeks to the emergency room it was found a need for Medicaid. This country has seen a need to (ER), limping and not bearing weight on the injured foot. The provide healthcare for all. Our system is not a healthy one, com- patient states that he had been doing the dressing changes and pared to care in other countries. We are numbered with the cost noted the area was becoming odorous. He was unable to walk on of healthcare per person in the company with the quality of care.3 the foot or get his boots on for work. The foot was swollen and The COVID-19 virus only has brought to light many problems odorous with an enormous amount of discharge from the wound. and the ways to continue to move this country forward.4 Changes The foot was soaked in Dakins by the staff. The surgeon was called are usually difficult. Many in the healthcare community are less and the ulcer was examined. Upon instruction, an magnetic reso- appreciative of this change. The COVID-19 virus has started the nance imaging (MRI), culture, labs, intravenous (IV) antibiotics, change and a strong leader needs to push it forward. Leaders in the and admission, with surgery scheduled for in AM. The patient was healthcare system will have the vision to move the system forward. found to be diabetic. Aware of this the surgeon and the internist Seeing the big picture, bringing those important people with them, assigned to the case, continue the work on to include a cardiologist and pushing the system forward.3 and vascular surgeon. . Amputation was performed which led to a major change in the patient’s life. The patient failed to return to his Some leaders are pushing for universal care, as used in previous occupation and could not support his family. other countries. This system is based on the population working as ours is. This can be a good system or not. The answer to our Prior to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus, problems is not to use others, but to refine our system. To just admission to hospital for wound care patients takes place every throw away and scrap does not make sense. There are many times day. This practice changed drastically after COVID-19 despite the and many cases of abuse in the system. Changing the abuses will focus of the hospital to take care of patients that needed care. The help improve care and push forward more funds.2 COVID-19 virus caused an increased number of deaths, severe health conditions, and many were at the risk of acquiring the CO- As healthcare continues to face a major crisis, the wound VID-19 virus. Many wound care patients lacked care. The hospi- care community faces its first drastic change. When the epidemic tals were confused about choosing to close the wound clinics due and lockdown hit the US, wound care was pushed to being a non to the lack of personnel resources and lack of patient visits.1 The -essential part of healthcare. This increased the hardship of many wound care community could not allow this situation to continue. patients with wounds and ulcers as they cannot find a resource for The fear that wound patients would face an increase in infections, healing. Seeing life as being locked in a house suffering long days decrease in healing, or increase in amputation rates. The com- of being unable to be around others. The odor, pain, itch, leakage, munity looked for ways to change the system and wound clinics and increased chance of infection, have locked these patients into reopened to a new world.2 There still remain many problems for their home.5 The closing of wound clinics would be devastating cc Copyright 2020 by Corum LA. This is an open-access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which allows to copy, redistribute, remix, transform, and reproduce in any medium or format, even commercially, provided the original work is properly cited. Emerg Med Open J. 2020; 6(1): 1-2. doi: 10.17140/EMOJ-6-154 to the wound care community. Many patients go through a wound The future of wound care depends on many factors now clinic in a single day, and that includes the use of hyperbaric oxygen and in the future. The treatment of the new viruses are not over. therapy (HBOT). Many clinics are healing wounds of the patients. Also, there is a need to monitor people with ulcers and wounds. To have the ability to access to the clinics is drastically important.6 There will be better monitoring and care as time goes on. These The ER would do their best to serve their patients that relieve fu- need to be thoughtful, long-term with proper planning in the fu- ture visits and helps to assure the patients are getting the treatment ture. The plan to help with controlling financial stewardship will that they need. This will reduce hospital costs and financial costs. be the main focus. The focus of continuing quality of care, pa- tient satisfaction, and financial stewardship. Evidence-based care The new normal with wound care was static for many needs to be the focus and wound care clinicians must continue to years. The government was more focused on the other diagnoses. seek education, seminars, and conferences. More ideas should be However, there was no focus on what was happening in wound acquired as well as new lessons. One should never stop listening, care. Wound Clinics are needed to help with patient retention, learning and becoming better.
increased patient satisfaction, and increased outpatient revenue. What COVID- 19 has changed to become the new normal is Tele-