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Solving a Real Problem
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Any views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and/or participants and do not necessarily reflect the views, policy, or position of Wounds or HMP Global, their employees, and affiliates.
Dear Readers:
In this month's journal issue there is a unique article. It is rare to find a research study that is heartwarming, thoughtful, well-designed, and useful; however, we have published such a manuscript. Many of us have participated in wound care and wound medicine in countries with fewer resources than ours. I think those of us who have been lucky enough to have such experiences are often humbled by the dedication and care of the individuals that are healing others in those countries. At last count, we have over 3000 moisture retentive dressings available to clinicians in the United States. We often are debating the qualities of one over the other and fundamentally discussing the merits and cost of these advanced dressings. At the same time, when we go home, we are trying to minimize the use of plastic bags—some cities have banned the use of such bags or charge premiums when used. Some countries make you pay a premium for using a plastic bag, and then plant trees using the extra money generated from the sale of such bags.
However, this month we get to see how something (food-grade plastic) that we consider to be waste can actually provide significant benefit and acceptance to allow for positive outcomes for patients. The energy that it took to assess not only what would work, but a therapy that was acceptable to the caregivers and the care recipients, is exceptional. Discussing the care delivery differences in countries as diverse as Ghana, Zambia, and Cambodia, and making a cogent therapeutic algorithm that the local care providers agreed on, is impressive in the least.
The article in question encompasses components of epidemiology, ethnography, material science, clinical research, and real-world data. The outcome of the project is an available technology dressing that enhances access to care, improves patient safety, and improves clinical outcomes. Overall, would it not be wonderful if all the papers we published touched on so many humanistic and clinical outcomes? I think that as I read numerous other papers encompassing prospective randomized trials, case series, and registries, I will often reflect on this particular article and its direct approach to addressing a very real problem.
I am not sure there will be a time in the future when I am in the produce aisle of my local grocery, putting fruits and vegetables into the omnipresent thin plastic bags, in which I won’t think about how someone faced with a problem decided to look at the tools they had on hand, engage the local caregivers and patients in using those tools, and in large part solved the problem they were faced with.
Therefore, when trying to decide what commodity-like dressing we are going to choose for a given problem on a given day, remind yourself to make sure you understand the problem you are addressing and address it with the simplest “fit for purpose” tool you have at hand.
John C. Lantis II, MD, FACS
Editor-in-Chief, Wounds
woundseditor@hmpglobal.com
