Page 186 - Psychology of Wounds and Wound Care in Clinical Practice ( PDFDrive )

Conclusion 161

It was found that patients often felt trapped by the system
due to it having to be attached to the wound. Although most
patients were optimistic due to their belief that it was the most
up-to-date technology, this was also a source of anxiety due to
the fact that health care staff were unfamiliar with the system.
Additionally, the NPWT system restricted the patient’s lives
on a daily basis, such as with going to the toilet and going out
socially. This caused patients to feel helpless and not in con-
trol of their daily lives. Such factors could significantly impact
upon patients’ QoL.
In sum, NPWT appears to be an effective treatment for
some patients with chronic hard to heal wounds. However, this
is not to say that it is without its issues for patients. It can be
bulky, noisy, restricting and socially isolating. It can cause pain
and stress during certain stages of treatment and all these fac-
tors may combine to significantly impact on the patient’s qual-
ity of life during the treatment regime. It is therefore important
that the health care professional monitors the patient across
the course of treatment to ensure that any elemental issues are
clearly and promptly identified and addressed. As noted this
could be before or during specific stages of treatment.

Conclusion

Treatments for wounds can bring their own issues and psy-
chological consequences. This chapter has sought to demon-
strate some of these by focussing on three different forms
of treatment for chronic wounds. Although there were both
similarities and differences, what is important is that the indi-
vidual clinician recognises that in order for these treatments
to be effective they have to be followed by the patient. If the
treatment brings with it pain, stress, psychosocial issues or
impacts on an individual’s quality of life then patients are less
likely to be concordant. It is therefore essential that treat-
ment is monitored regularly, not just from a medical or nurs-
ing perspective but also from a psychological one. Unique
and challenging difficulties associated with the individual
patient undergoing specific treatments can be immediately
recognised and addressed.