Page 252 - Psychology of Wounds and Wound Care in Clinical Practice ( PDFDrive )

Different Wound and Psychological Outcomes 227

The patient-health care professional relationship is often
very positive for people with wounds, and these interactions
may protect and promote their well-being. However, interac-
tions that are perceived to be negative may have the opposite
effect, and clinicians may not always able to address psycho-
social issues with patients due to the focus on treatment and
healing. Consequently, important issues may not receive the
attention they need, leading to poorer well-being and poten-
tially lower treatment concordance and a prolonged healing
process. It is hoped that this book has emphasised the impor-
tance of these psychological variables in the treatment of the
patient with a wound. This is irrespective of wound or treat-
ment type, since the chapters have demonstrated that psycho-
logical variables can play an important role in either
promoting or delaying wound healing. In this way, the focus
on psychological well-being should not be viewed as incom-
patible with improved clinical outcomes. Indeed, it can be
seen as complementary- improving well-being not only
improves psychological outcomes but also the patient’s clini-
cal outcome (see Chap. 4 ).

Different Wound and Psychological Outcomes

Chapter 5 explored different wound types and how psycho-
logical variables may be related to each of these. Burns,
Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Venous Leg Ulcers and Pressure Ulcers
were also explored, and key factors and condition specific
variables detailed. It was evident that although there were
many similarities in some psychological factors associated
with the wounds there were also significant differences. For
example, in burn injuries it is important to recognise that
there may be some pre-existing psychological morbidity.
Obviously the clinician must recognise that this is at a popu-
lation level rather than an individual level. That is, the group
of patients with burns have higher levels of pre-existing psy-
chological morbidity compared to other groups. At a patient
level, all should be treated individually with appropriate
assessment and intervention.