One of the first patients I assessed at the beginning of my clinical rotation had necrotic wounds on his feet. While this was somewhat unnerving, I was gratified to know that there might be a way I could help by providing wound healing supplements. This experience led me to choose wound healing as the topic for my professional research project.
Chronic wounds are said to affect approximately 6.5 million people in the United States and an excess of $25 Billion is spent each year on wound care. The increase in the incidence of diabetes and obesity as well as an aging population in the United States will increase the number of chronic wounds seen by physicians over the next ten years. Promoting wound healing with proper nutritional support would not only improve patient outcomes, but would also impact healthcare costs through reduced length of stay (LOS) in hospitalized patients and decreased cost of time and materials required for treatment whether as an inpatient or an outpatient.
Wound healing is a complex, yet orderly, metabolic process. It is an anabolic state with an increased demand for nutrients, specifically energy, amino acids (particularly arginine and glutamine), zinc and Vitamins A, C and E. The chronic wounds seen most often in a hospital setting are diabetic or venous ulcers, pressure ulcers and chronic surgical wounds. These wounds affect patient LOS in the hospital as well as their overall quality of life.
If we can provide patients with a nutrition plan of care that supports wound healing we will be contributing significantly to their recovery and to the reduction of healthcare costs associated with wound care. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics classifies “current research around the role of additional energy, protein, fluids or micronutrients such as Zinc in wound healing as grade V, which means there is currently not enough quality evidence to support or refute the use of such supplements”. They challenge RD’s to collaborate with other healthcare providers to conduct randomized, controlled clinical studies to provide evidence based best practices regarding the role of nutrition supplements in wound care. This is an area where we can provide value for patients, the hospitals we work in and our professional as a whole.
Chronic wounds are said to affect approximately 6.5 million people in the United States and an excess of $25 Billion is spent each year on wound care. The increase in the incidence of diabetes and obesity as well as an aging population in the United States will increase the number of chronic wounds seen by physicians over the next ten years. Promoting wound healing with proper nutritional support would not only improve patient outcomes, but would also impact healthcare costs through reduced length of stay (LOS) in hospitalized patients and decreased cost of time and materials required for treatment whether as an inpatient or an outpatient.
Wound healing is a complex, yet orderly, metabolic process. It is an anabolic state with an increased demand for nutrients, specifically energy, amino acids (particularly arginine and glutamine), zinc and Vitamins A, C and E. The chronic wounds seen most often in a hospital setting are diabetic or venous ulcers, pressure ulcers and chronic surgical wounds. These wounds affect patient LOS in the hospital as well as their overall quality of life.
If we can provide patients with a nutrition plan of care that supports wound healing we will be contributing significantly to their recovery and to the reduction of healthcare costs associated with wound care. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics classifies “current research around the role of additional energy, protein, fluids or micronutrients such as Zinc in wound healing as grade V, which means there is currently not enough quality evidence to support or refute the use of such supplements”. They challenge RD’s to collaborate with other healthcare providers to conduct randomized, controlled clinical studies to provide evidence based best practices regarding the role of nutrition supplements in wound care. This is an area where we can provide value for patients, the hospitals we work in and our professional as a whole.
