Poster: A Retrospective Multi-Center Correlational Evaluation of Diabetic Wounds of the Lower Extremity in Patients Attending an Outpatient Wound Center: Accompanied Versus Unaccompanied

Diabetes is a problem that is significant and getting worse, causing foot ulcers and amputations, and those with the disease increasingly rely on the assistance of a personal caregiver. A poster presented at SAWC Spring investigated diabetic lower limb wound outcomes with correlational attendance or absence of a caregiver.

The retrospective study, one of the highest scoring poster abstracts at SAWC Spring, was conducted in 3 outpatient hospital based wound centers in North Carolina. Patients were categorized into 2 groups, those with >50% accompanied (n=30) or < 50% accompanied (n=55) visits by a caregiver. Data was evaluated using descriptive statistics and two sample t-tests. Despite negative wound healing predictors, the poster notes the >50% accompanied group demonstrated significantly shorter healing times with lower visit counts and fewer weeks in service.

The poster concludes that early identification and engagement of a care partner for every patient with a diabetic wound in the lower extremity may be beneficial in wound healing. Benefits include faster healing times, fewer complications, reduced morbidity, and lower health care costs.

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