South Bruce Grey Health Centre wound care tool to be used regionally

An interactive web‐based wound care assessment tool, developed by the South Bruce Grey Health Centre, will be adapted by the South West Regional Wound Care Program for use as a resource on its website.

In 2013, two Registered Practical Nurses at the health centre's Durham hospital site, Waltraud Uebelhoer and Leanne Edwards, utilized Quality Nursing Initiative funding from the South West Local Health Integration Network (LHIN) to develop the tool.

Since being implemented at the health centre in 2013, the tool has standardized wound care assessment and dressing selection across the organization’s four sites (Kincardine, Walkerton, Chesley and Durham), and created a means to measure and evaluate wound care outcomes.

“We are very proud that this tool will be used regionally as a best practice guide for wound care assessment and treatment,” says Maureen Rydall, director of patient care at the health centre's Chesley and Durham sites, and acting chief nursing executive.

“It has proven to be very successful within our organization, so we look forward to sharing it with our peers.”

RPNs Waltraud Uebelhoer (L) and Leanne Edwards (R) developed the interactive web‐based wound care assessment tool at the South Bruce Grey Health Centre's Durham hospital site; with them, is Maureen Rydall, director of patient care at the Durham and Chesley sites; photo courtesy of the South Bruce Grey Health Centre