Authors (including presenting author) :
Ho CK, Wu WSF, Chow PF, Yip YKL, Chan BY, Leung KH, Lai FSP, Leung SH, Li YC, & Ko SH
Affiliation :
Department of Family Medicine & Primary Healthcare, KCC
Introduction :
Patients attending for wound care in community setting request different levels wound care. Some attending for daily and regular wound care for relatively complicated wound condition while some attend for simple wound care, of which some patients are willing and capable to perform self-wound care at home. It does not only promote self-management but also improve their quality of life by minimizing time spent on attending clinic setting. Hence, a patient empowerment program (PEP) was set up to enhance the situation and strengthen the active role of patients in primary healthcare (Hickmann, et. al. 2022).
Objectives :
To empower patient’s self-management
To minimize unnecessary waiting time for wound dressing
To promote better quality of life
To enhance communication and collaboration between nurses and patients and care givers
To minimize unnecessary dressing changes in out-patient clinics
Methodology :
PEP of wound care at home include 1. Nursing assessment and patient selection with inclusive and exclusive criteria; 2. Patient and caregiver empowerment; 3. Select wound dressing materials; and 4. Reassessment and evaluation. A series of staff promulgation and knowledge enhancement was provided to frontline nurses through identical training sessions, sharing meeting, onsite support from wound team members.
Result & Outcome :
From 4/2023 to 3/2024, 1844 patients participated and ~80% (n=1469) returned the survey. 95.7% complied with frequency of dressing change and 97% satisfied. 95.9% agreed wound care instruction was helpful and 98.6% agreed dressing material was easy to manage. 4.3% provided positive comments including time saving, and good for patient and family. Convenience is considerable especially during extreme weather. They appreciated nurses providing clear instruction. Few patients expressed lack of confidence but reassured by nurses. Some need caregivers to assist if wound location is not reachable. To make PEP successful, all of above comments are important. Dressing attendance on Sundays and public holidays decreased 15% approximately. The patient reminder sheet with “QR code” linking to an online video demonstrating wound care procedure at home was updated to facilitate the PEP program.
