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Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding of:

• Expand and explore in detail one phase of wound healing.

• Expand and develop your understanding of the changes in body image experienced by patients following amputation, mastectomy, etc.

• Discriminate between psychiatric conditions that are associated with wounds and their effect on individuals with problems of healing.

• Evaluate local factors affecting healing. Explore and evaluate the concept of moist wound healing and its influence on modern day practice.

• Evaluate the principles of psychometric and nutritional assessments as diagnostic indicators.

• Discriminate between the use of contact and non-contact measurements in evaluating wound progress.

• Discriminate between existing and new approaches to the management of an acute wound.

• Differentiate between existing theories of chronic wound aetiologies.

• Assimilate and synthesise newly acquired knowledge into existing knowledge base.

• Evaluate the effect of treatment directives governing manufacture and application of wound treatment modalities.

Intellectual (Thinking Skills) - Able to:

• Evaluate the current knowledge base of the stages of normal healing patterns.

• Evaluate the research basis and methodologies of principle research studies in wound healing.

• Explore the psycho/social indicators of adaptation to chronic illness.

• Explore the existing literature on the effects psycho/social factors have on healing.

• Discriminate between the range of research methods used in wound healing and tissue repair.

• Critically review and evaluate the literature on the effect metabolic and pathological disease processes have on the healing process.

• Critically appraise the effect the type of wound dressing materials may have on the healing process.

• Critically evaluate methods used to measure oxygen and blood flow to wounds.

• Critically review a wound management issue in relation to the potential benefits or harm it may have on patient outcomes.

• Debate contradictions in existing management of acute wounds.

• Critically analyse and evaluate controversial issues surrounding chronic wound aetiologies or management.

• Redefine and evaluate the research evidence supporting the management of patients with chronic wounds.

• Discriminate between existing, proven management options and newer, less validated therapies.

• Explore and discuss the possible complications occurring in the delivery of wound care.

• Review and evaluate the benefits of conducting cost-effective studies of wound management materials.

Discipline Specific Skills:

• Relate the stages of normal healing to the clinical presentation of a wound.

• Integrate psycho/social factors into your clinical assessment of patients

• Develop diagnostic skills of recognition of pathogenic infection and other complications.

• Develop new approaches in order to reduce the effects intrinsic and extrinsic factors have on the patients’ outcome.

• Formulate protocols for the assessment and diagnosis of particular wound types.

• Integrate knowledge of assessment and diagnostic techniques in the clinical situation.

• Justify a framework for clinical care for patients with a surgically created wound, thermal and traumatic injury using appropriate research based treatments.

• Critically appraise the effect resource allocation may have within the individual’s own area of practice.

Transferable Skills:

• Develop new approaches in helping patients cope with chronic debilitating illness or acute traumatic injury.

• Perform a critical review of the literature.

• Develop and formulate research questions.

• Critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different methodologies.

• Demonstrate a basic understanding of statistical concepts.

• Perform an in-depth critique of a research paper.

• Critically analyse the advantages and disadvantages of using assessment tools in predicting patients’ outcome.

• Develop new approaches to the management of patients with a variety of wound types.

• Critically examine the relationship between good clinical practice and the conduct of clinical trials in practice

• Explore the ethical issues surrounding the conduct of clinical trials in wound healing.

• Evaluate the types of ‘evidence’ that influence clinical practice.