Page 228 - Psychology of Wounds and Wound Care in Clinical Practice ( PDFDrive )

Social Support Interventions 203

(Edwards et al. 2005 ). Here, the reintegration of leg ulcer-
ation sufferers into the social domain is encouraged, whilst
the clubs have also proved successful in progressing the
removal of the negative stigma associated with such ulcer-
ations. These clubs can conclude in a number of benefits for
both the patient and their carer in that not only has treat-
ment concordance been found to improve, but recurrence
rates can decrease with overall positive healing outcomes
(Lindsay 2004 ). This club care model supports the assump-
tion that through the fostering of therapeutic relationships,
patients can be empowered and encouraged to engage with
their care, leading to improved healing rates and overall
reduced ulceration reoccurrence. As such, is important for
clinicians to incorporate such notions within their would
care regime, focusing on patient involvement, communica-
tion and health promotion, in turn, enabling patients to
become actively involved in their treatment regime.
Edwards et al. ( 2005 ) evaluated a pilot community-based
‘leg club’ with a sample of 33 patients with venous leg ulcers.
Patients were randomized to two treatment conditions, which
were either the community based leg club or treatment in
their own homes. Data from both groups were collected at 12
weeks, finding significant improvements in healing in the
community based ‘leg club’ condition compared to the home
group. Furthermore, those who attended the community
based leg club were able to share information with ‘fellow
sufferers’, not only about their leg ulcers but their other simi-
lar health conditions. Therefore improved healing rates in the
leg club setting group could include the beneficial effects of
social interaction, peer support and the opportunity to share
information with others who have similar conditions.
However, the small sample used in this study limits the gen-
eralizability of the findings, also patients who were unable to
travel, due to being too physically disabled or those who were
unable to drive were excluded. Edwards et al. ( 2009 ) con-
ducted another study to determine the ‘leg clubs’ effective-
ness on a number of different outcomes, which included
quality of life, morale, depression, self-esteem, social support,