Colorado health system elevates wound care education at ambulatory clinics

In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 patients is readmitted within 30 days of discharge, with wound complications the most common cause. And for patients who are immunocompromised, elderly or both, the risks during hospitalization are even greater.

A significant challenge is the lack of comprehensive wound care education in ambulatory and outpatient clinic curricula. With that in mind, Colorado-based UCHealth recently took aim at a common issue in its ambulatory care: a gap in consistent, formal continued education for clinical staff on wound care. In response to requests from nurses for additional training, UCHealth’s clinical nurse education team reached out to Medline seeking to develop and implement comprehensive training programs, allowing UCHealth staff to stay focused on patient care while advancing their knowledge in wound care best practices.

“Educating healthcare providers on wound care is essential in outpatient settings,” said Amanda Stephens, clinical educator at UCHealth. “When we don’t adhere to best practices, patients may not receive the care they need, which can delay healing and increase their risk of readmission, posing increased risk to high-risk patients. With the high volume of patients seen in clinics each day, and given frequent staff turnover, continuous education remains a critical need.”

Adding to the challenge, healthcare facilities frequently face staffing shortages. According to the Colorado Workforce Development Council, the state needs more than 7,000 nurses, and that shortage is expected to grow to more than 10,000 registered nurses by 2026, leaving little time for essential education and training. Furthermore, when nurses start new positions, they must also familiarize themselves with different products and tools, adding another layer of complexity to their onboarding process.

“We came to Medline with our challenges and a vision of an in-person education and training session and were pleasantly surprised at the in-depth education experience they put together,” said Christina Pagan, ambulatory clinical nurse educator for UCHealth. “I was blown away by the amount of time and detail that was put into creating this education. This was not even a capability I knew vendors had.”