Report on Piloting the Professional Supplementary Vocational Education Module “Wound Management”

For the first time, the practice-oriented modular course “Wound Management” was carried out during the period from April 3 through 16, 2013 based on the St. Petersburg Center for Postgraduate Education of the Russian Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA). A curriculum for this professional module has been developed by faculties of the Federal State Educational Institution of Supplementary Vocational Education “The St. Petersburg Postgraduate School of Nursing” of the Russian Federal Medical Biological Agency.

This program is meant for the use within the system of postgraduate training of nurses, feldshers [PAs] and midwives as both basic and advanced courses on “Scrub Nurses”, “Emergency Care”, “Surgical Nursing”, “Trauma Nursing”, Occupational Health“.

It was attended by not only representatives of the nursing staff of those healthcare institutions that report directly to the Russian FMBA but also by faculties of nursing schools.

Competence-based multidisciplinary approach to wound treatment and care is the core of this module. In the educational process, active teaching techniques with the use of informational-communicational technologies and simulation have been utilized.

Didactical sessions and trainings were conducted in the auditoria and simulation lab at the Center for Postgraduate Education with the use of high-tech simulation equipment, dummies and mannequins as well as at such leading healthcare institutions of St. Petersburg as the Clinical Hospital-122 in the name of L.G. Sokolov of the Russian Federal Medical Biological Agency (Vascular Surgery Unit, Center for Ambulatory Surgery), Leningrad Regional Clinical Hospital (Central Sterilization), and Diabetes Center.

The greatest interest of participants of the “Wound Management” Program was aroused by the following topics:

• Algorithms for prevention and treatment of pressure sores;
• Modern approaches to wound care;
• Modern dressing materials;
• Management of infected wounds;
• First aid for traumas and injuries;
• Diabetic foot care;
• Trophic ulcers, wound care and use of compression bandage;
• Modern approaches to pre-sterilization cleaning and performance of the Central Sterile Unit.

Main subjects of the hands-on sessions and master classes were:

• Handwashing. Putting on sterile clothes. Arranging instruments on a table. Putting dressing into a KSK [round sterilizer dressing box];
• Working at the Central Sterilization Unit. Disinfection. Pre-sterilization cleaning. Sterilization. Preparation and storage of materials;
• Management of postoperative infected wounds; abscess incision and drainage. Treatment for purulent wounds;
• Nursing process in purulent infections. Peculiar features of delivering care to patients with surgical infections;
• Mechanism of providing care to patients with the diabetic foot syndrome. Developing and introducing an intervention sheet. Diabetic ulcers. Assistance in selecting appropriate footwear;
• Strategy of utilizing compression therapy. Use of bandages, compressing items, devices;
• Patient education on routine trophic ulcer care and the technique of applying compression bandage;
• Trophic ulcer care. Dressing techniques;
• Educating patients, family, caregivers, volunteers on pressure sore prevention and care;
• Desmurgy: Methods and techniques of dressings, dressing classification;
• Practicum on podiatry: examination of the patient"s feet (evaluating sensitivity of distal portions of the feet [vibration, temperature and tactile sensation]); prophylactic podiatric care of the feet; developing an individual program of dealing with the patient; patient education on proper foot care.

The European experience presented by Salla Seppänen, President-Elect of the European Wound Management Association (EWMA), turned out to be especially interesting.

As a result of mastering the curriculum of this modular course, professionals learned to independently develop and implement in practice a plan of taking care of the patient with acute and chronic wounds of various nature; select and use modern dressings in the course of wound care; provide first aid.

During hands-on sessions, participants have performed experience exchange on practical work in accordance with algorithms followed in their respective healthcare institutions. At the concluding meeting, the final round table discussion was held in order to develop proposals for optimization and further implementation of this modular course.

We thank all participants of the modular course, its trainers, heads of clinics" departments and all those practicing professionals who took active part in implementing this pilot project!

The next “Wound Management” educational course is scheduled for October, 7-18.10.2013.

The authors of the article

Name of institution:

Federal State Educational Institution “The St. Petersburg Postgraduate School of Nursing” of the Federal Medical Biological Agency.

Irina S. Bakhtina, M.D., Ph.D.

Chief Specialist on Postgraduate Education within the St. Petersburg healthcare system.

Chief off-staff Specialist on Nursing Management of the Federal Medical Biological Agency.

Dean of the Federal State Educational Institution “The St. Petersburg Postgraduate School of Nursing” of the Federal Medical Biological Agency.

Irina N. Balandina

Senior lecturer of nursing (surgery, wound management, first aid, rehabilitation, ergonomics, infusion therapy).

Irina A. Kopysova

Head of simulation laboratory, senior lecturer of nursing (surgery, wound management, infection control, epidemiology).

Elena A. Maltceva

Head of marketing and foreign affairs department.

Photos

Report on Piloting the Professional Supplementary Vocational Education Module “Wound Management”