It is estimated that over 200,000 Australians have problem or chronic wounds at any one time (Australian Wound Management Association, 2008). Over the past 4 decades while there has been significant advancement in wound care, a high proportion of wounds become chronic. Despite the availability of wound care resources and specialist services, there remains an inconsistency in the management of chronic wounds that impacts both on the quality of life of individuals with chronic wounds and the health care budget (Harding 2002). Using a Grounded theory approach, the aim of this study was to explore and describe the impact of living with a chronic wound and findings indicate that individuals living with a chronic wound are receiving conflicting or inappropriate advice and care. Individuals living with a chronic wound experience a life of uncertainty related to the struggle to endure a wounded body and the layers of professional care they receive. When they are provided with conflicting or inappropriate advice and treatment, inconsistencies of care and poor coordination of care, layers of unnecessary burden are added to their experience. The uncertainty and dissonance individuals are faced with, leads them to question their care, themselves and the expertise and professionalism of their treating health professionals. As a result, they experienced a loss of respect and trust for their treating health professionals and a loss of confidence in their care. Chronic wounds impose of individuals, an intense burden of physical suffering, cause major disruption to the normality of their lives, and often entail a constant personal struggle to secure appropriate care and understanding from their treating health professionals. In order to enable individuals living with chronic wounds to develop appropriate coping strategies, it is essential that health professionals: understand the burden of suffering associated with living with a chronic wound; ensure that they develop and maintain a high level of knowledge with regards to contemporary wound care practices; ensure that their clientele are provided with high quality care information that is based on the best available evidence; ensure continuity of care; and foster quality professional-client relationships that negates the need for individuals to have to constantly question their care.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/246467 |
| Date | January 2009 |
| Creators | Minnis, Andrea Margaret Bennett, andreaminnis@bigpond.com |
| Publisher | RMIT University. Health Sciences |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | http://www.rmit.edu.au/help/disclaimer, Copyright Andrea Margaret Bennett Minnis |
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