I'm interested in taking the CWCA exam, but a friend of mine mentioned that the WCC is better. What is the difference between the two?
Volume 48 - Issue 9 - September, 2002
What a Difference a Year Makes!
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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- 1349 reads
T his month, we will remember the thousands of people who perished that dreadful day 1 year ago and comfort those who lost family and friends. We will continue to support those who escaped or responded to the calls for help, offering what we can to ease their burden as witnesses of the horror. As we reflect on a year of tumultuous change, heartbreaking images, uncertainty, bravery, strength of spirit, and courage, we also will be forced to reflect on the effects of selfishness, greed, and cowardice.
A political cartoon in a recent issue of a newspaper depicts a couple with binoculars in
Summer Updates
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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- 1367 reads
Medical Supply Costs under Intense Government Scrutiny
The government believes Medicare pays too much for durable medical equipment and medical supplies (DMEPOS). In 2000, Medicare Part B costs for DMEPOS totaled more than $6.8 billion - $1.3 billion of which was paid out-of-pocket by Medicare beneficiaries. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services provided testimony before the Senate Committee on Appropriations on June 12, 2002 regarding Medicare reimbursement for medical equipment and supplies.1
The OIG compared p
A Salute to an Army Nurse, First Class
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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T his year, people in uniform - all uniforms - have been increasingly recognized and appreciated. Their sense of duty, their sacrifices of time and (sometimes) life and limb for their towns, cities, and country, once perhaps taken for granted, are now acknowledged and celebrated. No one is more cognizant or respectful of these men and women than the people who support them in their efforts to serve and protect. Joseph B. (Jody) Warren, RN, BSN, CNRN, ET, CWON, is the Chief, Wound/Ostomy Service, Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC), Fort Sam Houston, Tex. He is also a lieutenant colonel in the Ar
Who is Really Providing Ostomy Care Today?
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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- 4478 reads
"The WOC Nurse is only there 2 days a month."
"The home care agency didn't have an ET Nurse."
"I never saw an ostomy nurse."
So say the ostomy patients - those who are newly operated or those with long-standing ostomies who develop problems. The burden of their concerns is not the direct responsibility of the WOC nurse - it is simply a result of current circumstances and basic arithmetic.
The numbers don't add up.
The biggest problem is an imbalance between supply and demand. The number of WOC nurses (just under 4,000 nationwide1) is insufficient to
Application of a Wound Pouch over an Enterocutaneous Fistula: A Step-by- Step Approach
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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E nterocutaneous fistulas present a challenge to medical and nursing staff. If not adequately managed, a patient with a high-output fistula can develop fluid and electrolyte imbalance and metabolic acidosis in a relatively short period of time. Fistulas typically develop in a surgical incision or dehisced wound; the patient faces a 35% risk of dying. Spontaneous closure occurs in approximately 57% of all enteric fistulas within 8 weeks as along as adequate nutrition and fluid and electrolyte balance are maintained and the patient remains on bowel rest.1 Periwound skin is at great ri
September 2002 Industry News
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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Multinational survey reveals pain and trauma at wound dressing changes
Preventing trauma to the wound and pain to the patient were the main concerns of a recently conducted multinational wound care survey.
Nearly 4,000 practitioners from 11 countries across Europe and North America took part in the survey, the results of which were announced at the annual congress of the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) 23 May in Granada, Spain.
Practitioners consistently ranked dressing removal as the time of greatest pain. Pain-free removal was the most highly desir
September 2002 New Products
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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New dressings for IV sites
To meet the challenges of difficult-to-dress IV sites, 3M Medical Division (St. Paul, Minn.) introduces two new Tegaderm IV Transparent Dressings: Catalogue Numbers 1610 and 1655. Catalog No. 1610 is designed as a pediatric IV dressing, offering superior site protection and catheter secural. Its size and design incorporate a soft cloth reinforced notch for a better seal and reduced edge lift around the catheter.
Two sterile tape straps accompany each dressing for securing the catheter hub, tubing, or both. The notched portion of the dressing
Ethical Considerations of Elder Abuse: Identifying the Breach
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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E xperts suggest that as many as 10% of older Americans are victims of abuse. Elder abuse can occur at a licensed or accredited healthcare facility or even in the elder's own home. In fact, most abuse is thought to occur at home by family members and may not entail physical abuse.1 This article examines the current legal descriptions of elder abuse. Ethical considerations and professional obligations are presented in particular in the presence of physical manifestations such as pressure ulcer development and other forms of skin injury. A case study is presented.
Defining Elder Abuse
Repo
Preventing Foot Ulceration and Amputation by Decompressing Peripheral Nerves in Patients with Diabetic Neuropathy
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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- 8221 reads
Susceptibility to Compression
Two metabolic changes in the peripheral nerves of the patient with diabetes render the nerve susceptible to chronic compression. The most critical metabolic change is the increased water content and subsequent increased volume within the nerve as a result of glucose being metabolized into sorbitol.1 The second metabolic change is a decrease in the slow anterograde component of axoplasmic flow.2 This component of axoplasmic flow transports the lipoproteins necessary to maintain and rebuild the nerve. The peripheral nerve, as
Using Hyaluronic Acid Derivatives and Cultured Autologous Fibroblasts and Keratinocytes in a Lower Limb Wound in a Patient with
- Wed, 9/3/08 - 10:25am
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- 3574 reads
C hronic lower extremity ulcers are a common and serious complication of diabetes mellitus. Moss1 estimates that patients with diabetes have a five to 15 times higher risk of requiring a lower extremity amputation than people who do not have diabetes. Foot ulcers are an important predictor of future lower extremity amputations in patients with diabetes and, despite efforts to prevent these ulcers from occurring, the incidence of lower extremity amputations continues to rise.2
Data are scant on the use of bioengineered tissue in the treatment of chronic wounds in pat
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