Abstract: Having a pressure ulcer, particularly a stage 4 ulcer, which exposes muscle and oftentimes bone and can require major reconstruction surgery, significantly impacts an individual’s life in overt as well as covert ways. Each person uniquely defines this impact, while the breadth and depth of the effects on quality of life (QoL) impact the provision of care as well. Healthcare providers in every clinical setting who care for such individuals must be acutely aware of and sensitive to the impacts and issues on every dimension of QoL. This article discusses research findings of the impact of having a pressure ulcer and the sequelae of such an ulcer on multiple dimensions of QoL.

Abstract: Fungating malignant wounds are caused by tumor infiltration of the skin. Unless amenable to anti-cancer treatments, the infiltration extends, the wounds advance, and the management goals are palliative. Palliative care optimizes quality of life (QoL) through the control of physical symptoms and attention to patients’ psychosocial needs. Quality of life in the context of palliative care and fungating wounds may therefore be conceptualized in terms of focused outcomes of interventions, including dimensions, such as hope, meaning, and self-esteem. Two disease-specific measurement tools have been identified and can be used to assess and measure the outcomes of fungating wound management together with the impact of the condition on the individual: the Wound and Symptoms Self-Assessment Chart (WoSSAC) and Treatment Evaluation by LE Roux’s method (TELER®). Both focus on the palliative management of fungating wounds, and although not located in the QoL literature, they address QoL is

Abstract: The management of a diabetic foot ulcer requires the patient to change his or her behavior. Despite little evidence, it is suggested that psychological factors are influential in the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. It is, therefore, important to determine how patients with diabetic foot ulcers and the podiatrists who treat them perceive and understand foot ulceration, as this may influence patients’ behaviors. To address this gap in knowledge, 2 qualitative studies were undertaken. In the first study, interviews were conducted with 13 patients with diabetic foot ulcers recruited from outpatient podiatry clinics. A second study was conducted with podiatrists working in the outpatient clinics from which the patients were recruited. In both studies, the interview schedules consisted of a series of open-ended questions concerned with examining beliefs about ulcers, causes and treatment of ulcers, and adherence to treatment recommendations. All interviews were tape recorded, tran