The wound care quality tool is not a protocol, but a workable, practice-based tool to organise wound care in nursing homes safely, consistently and efficiently. The starting point is the team's daily practice, not a pile of forms.
Alongside my work as a nurse, I have developed the wound care quality tool. I am not a wound care nurse, but wound care has my attention because I see many organisations struggling with a fixed and lasting policy. The idea behind it is simple: you improve quality on the floor, together with the people who deliver the care. Care organisations can obtain the tool under a licence. In this article I explain how it works in practice.
In care there are many quality systems and registrations. They are necessary, but they do not always tell you how things are going on an ordinary Tuesday morning. In my work I saw that the greatest gains are often in small, everyday things: how a handover goes, whether reports are useful, whether everyone follows the same agreement. That is what I want to tie in with.
Practice-based also means that the instrument has to fit the time a team has. Care staff have their hands full with the care itself. An approach that demands a lot of extra administration quickly becomes a burden instead of a help. That is why I keep it as close as possible to the work that is happening anyway.
My approach consists of a few simple steps. First I observe in practice. Then I discuss what I see with the team, without judgement. Next we make agreements together and after a while we check whether they work. The topics differ per team, but often they concern:
The wound care quality tool and reporting according to SOAP contribute to the quality care of your organisation. They make visible how care is going and where agreements have not yet landed. If you work with a quality nurse, I am happy to think along about how I can support that work, see working with the quality nurse.
What the tool involves exactly and how the licence works is explained under the wound care quality tool.
Improvements that only exist as long as someone from outside is present disappear again. That is why I pay attention to embedding: who in the team holds on to the agreement, and how are new colleagues brought along? This is especially important with high staff turnover; see also safeguarding quality when staff change.
We agree an assignment around quality improvement in advance: which theme, which period and which intended result. After that I carry out the work independently and coordinate the content with the team. I work with calm, overview and clear communication. Read more under quality improvement.
I help with this through quality improvement and wound care and reporting. Want to know what that means for your organisation? Schedule an introduction.
Ask the team itself where it experiences the most uncertainty. That is where quality improvement with real support begins.
Care organisations can obtain the tool under a licence. I am happy to explain during an introductory meeting how it works and whether it suits your organisation.
No. It fits in with the protocols you already have, but above all it helps you organise wound care in practice safely, consistently and efficiently.
My experience lies in VVT care (nursing, care and home care): residential elderly care, home care, psychogeriatric care, somatic care, hospice and palliative care, and rehabilitation care.
I am happy to drop by for a coffee to discuss your question.
Schedule an introduction ContactSchedule a meeting. I am happy to visit and discuss what I can do for your organisation.
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