Chronic Wounds Successfully Managed at The Queen's Medical Center

The wound care team: (l - r) Judy Stucke, RN, clinical coordinator, Patricia Slachta, RN, clinical nurse specialist, Jennifer Bradbury, RN, case manager, Melisa Dixon, RN, Cherryl Villanueva, medical assistant, Outpatient Center, and Ted Norris, program director.

The Wound Care Center (WCC) at The Queen's Medical Center has treated approximately 200 patients since its inception a year ago. The relatively little known resource was formed in conjunction with Curative Health Services, a nationally recognized leader in wound care with excellent outcomes in healing chronic wounds and preventing amputation.

The WCC partners with a patient's primary care physician to deliver comprehensive care using individualized plans for each patient. It is designed as a service to referring physicians without interfering with their responsibilities for the overall care of the patient.

Wound care is relatively new in the State of Hawaii. It is simply not practical to handle chronic wound care management in a standard doctor's office. Chronic wounds need to be assessed and cleaned weekly, and usually demand aggressive surgical debridement, or cutting away of unhealthy tissue.

The most common referrals are diabetic patients or those with pressure sores. Some have suffered unhealed for years. WCC program director Ted Norris cites the case of a diabetic man who coped with painful, unhealed wounds for nearly seven years. After just three months of dedicated visits, his sores are almost completely healed. "He is ecstatic," says Norris. "We have had some really great outcomes for chronic, non-healing wounds."

Most patients at the Wound Care Center are physician referred, but individuals are welcome to request an appointment by calling 808.585.5494.