An International Initiative to Improve Wound Assessment and Documentation Through an Education Strategy

Background: The World Health Organization has recognized chronic wounds as a global health epidemic. Although wound healing knowledge and management techniques are expanding at an unprecedented rate, many developing countries have not yet recognized the great burden this issue is having on their society.

Methods: A partnership with Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy and Continence Canada and Medline Inc. has led to an educational strategy to introduce a wound assessment and documentation tool to improve wound outcomes. The education component was delivered by nurses certified in wound, ostomy, and continence.

Results: The assessment and documentation tool was piloted in the Salta Province in Argentina beginning June 2019. This presentation will explore the introduction of the tool, the education provided, the potential impact on Argentine health care, and plans for future development of an organized approach to wound assessment and management in Argentina. Utilizing standardized wound documentation allows for recognition of the underlying problems facing the community and provides the data sets as a foundation upon which to develop positive changes leading to uptake of evidence-based best practice wound assessment and care.

Conclusion: Acknowledging the impact of clinician, government, and industry collaboration in developing an educational strategy to advance wound assessment and documentation management within developing countries can have significant implications in addressing this global epidemic.