Ann Kahl Taylor – Lawsuits & Wounds: The Latest Trends & Risk Reduction Strategies to Protect Your Patients and Your License

Outline

Lawsuits and Wounds

• Legal terms that should cause concern
• Commonly-cited failures in wound management
• Where do you find standards of care?
• Competencies you should have on file
• Staffing impact for patients and you

Policy Updates: What May Sound Unimportant One Day, Can Become Critical

• Photo documentation
• Assessment & reassessment
• Consultations you should request
• Don’t fail to follow your own policies!

Pressure Injury Prevention

• Avoidable versus unavoidable
• Skin failure
• Terminal ulcers
• Avoid failure to prevent injury

Assessments: The Courtroom Downfall

• Determine risk to put proper prevention measures in place
• Nutritional needs and realistic goals
• Mobility challenges solved!
• Develop an individualized plan of care
• Reassessment… again and again!
• Pain management strategies
• Do not fail to properly assess

Guideline Updates for Your Clinical Practice

• Pressure injuries
• Lower extremity ulcers
• Other skin damage
• Continuing education

Wound Care Challenges: It’s Not Always Pressure…

• MARSI
• MASD
• IAD
• MDRPI
• ITD

Documentation Pitfalls

• Electronic charting
• Policies
• Drop boxes
• The ‘ideal‘ wound notes

Take-Home Algorithms to Put into Practice Tomorrow

• Topical therapy
• Lower extremity ulcers
• Ostomy management
• Support surfaces

Case Studies: Costly Mistakes Made in Wound Care

• Risk assessment
• Topical formularies
• Wound assessment
• Differential diagnosis
• Care plans
• Patient record