By Nerine Zoio
Wound care is a tricky business akin to the construction of a house, which never comes about through the use of just a hammer, but an array of tools for specific functions.
This is according to Gary Bain, Nurse Consultant and principal at The Wound Guy.
In that pharmacies are often frequented as the first port of call for people with wounds, Mr Bain advises pharmacists and pharmacy assistants to follow a holistic approach and to keep in mind that a wound is never simple or straightforward in its treatment.
This extends to dressings and the cleaning and debridement of wounds, for which there is no one formulaic path to follow.
Therefore the pharmacist or pharmacy assistant should first find out about the patient’s history and then as much as possible about the wound, he says.
For example, a graze on a 12-year-old’s knee and a wound in a similar location on the body of a 72-year-old should not be treated in the same way.
Also important to note, Mr Bain adds, is a patient’s socio-economic status in terms of what they can afford, and where they can buy dressings if they require them, as well as whether family members or a community nurse will be involved in their care.
“This makes it clear how big a pharmacist needs to think to see the wound in the context of the whole person and, at times, their family,” he said.
The biggest mistake when it comes to health professionals and wound care, according to Mr Bain, is looking at the skin as though it is a separate entity that can somehow recover and look after itself.
“The skin, being part of the integumentary system, is influenced by all the other systems in the body, such as the respiratory system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system and the like, which all interface with each other.”
