Key language utilised by the Department of Health (DH) is to show true efficiency savings and cost improvements through reduced wastage.
With this in mind how do we and should we position wound care products? What is the message that needs to be conveyed, how is this conveyed and to whom?
Importantly these metrics need to be shown in an objective and progressive manner rather than merely in a subjective method.
When we look at the true outcome measures in wound care this can be divided broadly into three categories:
- Measures of clinical efficacy
- Health-related quality of life
- Health economics
Clinical efficacy could include – percentage of patients healed; mean time to complete healing; percentage change in wound dimensions; tissue type at the wound bed; percentage of wound area debrided and exudate type and amount.
The category of health-related quality of life is certainly becoming more important as we try to assess true patient experience in the NHS as a directed measurement of quality of service.
Finally the domain of health economics takes all the information above and assesses that against length of treatment; types of treatment; cost of treatment including nurse time, medical time and the setting of care.
Would it not be fantastic is some, if not all of these wound care metrics were integrated into one single system that is:
- Easy to use
- Part of everyday working
- One point of call for all wound care needs
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