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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.

Click here to view the poster.

 

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