The Long-Term Care Industry Would Be Well-Served To Take A New Perspective On Wounds & Wound Care

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, UNITED STATES, May 22, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- A recent study by researchers at the University of Chicago(1) found that the reporting of wounds in long-term care and other healthcare facilities is significantly underreported. Although it may be challenging to gauge the precise number of patients with wounds - including pressure wounds, arterial and venous ulcers, diabetic ulcers, punctures, skin tears and others - the point is that a large number of residents/patients suffer from them.

David Navazio, President and CEO of Gentell, one of the largest wound care products manufacturers in North America, suggests that in order to improve wound care, the healthcare industry needs to take a new perspective on the presence of wounds. He observes that, for too long, mere mention of the existence of patient wounds at a facility was looked upon as a stigma on quality. “Although occasionally that stigma may be deserved, most of the time wounds are simply a fact of life, especially in senior healthcare,” said Navazio.

Navazio believes that the industry must embrace the reality of the presence of wounds in order to take stock of the issue, develop standards and make improvements. He said, “Once wound presence is normalized and not stigmatized, facilities can more readily adopt a “wound care culture” with the potential to benefit all parties - patient, facility and industry - while reducing organizational expense and risk.”

A culture is an environment of shared values and beliefs. By changing the wound care paradigm from the tactical cause and effect of wound care itself, to making it a core institutional priority for improving patient care, we can transform wound care into a dynamic component of organizational character and brand.

Armed with this new perspective, Navazio recommends 5 steps towards creating a wound care culture within one’s organization:

1) Wound care culture starts at the top
Defining and prioritizing a wound care culture must emanate from the top. Only when a wound care culture is embraced, supported and promoted by both management and nursing leadership will it lead to more successful outcomes.

2) Commit to wound care training and continuing education at all levels
Develop a continuing education program that teaches wound care to all nursing staff and care givers, especially regarding identifying wounds early and utilizing the best practices for treating them.

3) Make wound care a daily endeavor
Within a short period of 24 hours, much can happen with a wound. Develop a protocol that makes the inspection, treatment and dressing changing an every day activity, providing for the time and materials that staff needs to make this standard of care happen.

4) Develop institutional memory
Install a computerized program, such as Gentell^® FastcareTM, that facilitates documentation & tracking of individual wound treatment and outcomes. Review activity and results to help fine-tune your program and measure your progress toward reaching goals.

5) Review institutional performance, as well as the team members who make positive results happen
Turn wound care into a positive initiative where team members can be proud of their accomplishments in helping patients and in improving outcomes.

Said Navazio, “By adopting a wound care culture, organizations create a win-win-win environment for patients, staff and facility. When wound care becomes part of your organizational culture, it will serve as a valuable, positive measure of brand quality for patients, for healthcare facilities and for our industry.”
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ABOUT DAVID NAVAZIO AND GENTELL

David Navazio is the President and CEO of Gentell, Inc. and affiliated companies. Starting in 1994, with a small home medical equipment and respiratory company, David built Gentell to be a world leader in wound care. His pioneering vision has inspired innovations such as advanced wound healing protocols, developed uniquely for nursing homes, the creation of state-of-the-art wound care products, industry-leading wound treatment educational programs, cutting-edge wound care management technology and more.

Among many accomplishments, David worked tirelessly with the National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL) and chaired the committee responsible for having the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA) recognize advanced wound care products. The result was a Congressional change to the Medicare Coverage Policies (Section 2079) to not only recognize wound care but to provide coverage for advanced wound care products.

David is Board Chair Emeritus of Pearl S. Buck International, on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, West Central New Jersey region, and active in leadership of regional Rotary International. He is also Honorary Commander of Joint Base MDL and a Board member of the Liquori Academy.

Gentell is one of North America’s largest wound care dressing manufacturers with manufacturing plants in the U.S., Canada, and China, as well as facilities around the world. The company manufactures and supplies efficient, affordable patient-specific wound care treatments to nursing homes, hospitals, home care, hospices and other providers.

Gentell
2701 Bartram Road
Bristol, PA 19007 USA
Toll Free: 1-800-840-9041
Phone: 215-788-2700
Fax: 215-788-2715

Website: Gentell.com
LinkedIn: /in/davidnavazio /company/gentell
Twitter: @gentell 2701
Facebook: facebook.com/woundadvisor

(1) https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/research-and-discoveries-articles/nursing-homes-underreport-pressure-ulcers-in-federal-data#:~:text=Researchers%20at%20the%20University%20of,%2D%20or%20short%2Dterm%20care

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Leo Levinson
Group Levinson Public Relations
+1 215-545-4600
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