May 2004

Dear Readers:

This issue of Wounds focusing on Outcomes Research was developed by Section Editor, Laura L. Bolton. In her Preface, Dr. Bolton summarizes the approaches and value of outcomes research in serving as a quality improvement tool benefiting the healthcare system, the clinician, and patient. She has assembled a series of excellent papers on this important topic. Two papers are included describing the outcomes research initiatives in Europe and Australia. This month’s entire issue is CME accredited for physicians and podiatrists.

David T. Rovee, PhD
Editor, W

Grant support: Dr. Chen is supported in part by a Mentored Patient Oriented Career Development Award (#K23AR02185-01A1) from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland, as well as an American Skin Association David Martin Carter Research Scholar Award

Introduction

How does one measure the impact of pain, dysfunction, and impaired social and psychological well being of a nonhealing leg ulcer? In an era of increased healthcare accountability, how can one documen

Introduction

The field of wound care continues to grow and mature with time. Randomized, controlled trials are replacing case reports, and clinicians are now focusing on outcomes data instead of relying only on experience when making clinical decisions. There have been several reports in the literature analyzing healing rates and overall outcomes from hospital-based wound clinics.[1] Some of these reports represent a single practitioner’s experience, whereas many are composites from numerous clinicians each participating in the wound center for a limited time each week. Attempts at aggreg

Introduction

Healthcare is currently experiencing a quiet revolution. Until recent times, it has been accepted that high quality healthcare emanates from the professionalism of clinical staff and that poor outcomes are the result of the vagaries of the disease processes. Thus, patients with chronic wound problems were resigned to accept that if the health professionals managing their wounds could not achieve wound healing, their wounds were thereby nonhealable. Times have changed. Community expectations now demand that evidence is provided to demonstrate optimized quality outcomes. Both at

One-Stop Ultimate Leg Treatment Arrives in New England

The Tufts-New England Medical Center is pleased to announce the opening of the Center for Venous Diseases on April 15, 2004. The goal of the Tufts-NEMC vein center is to provide a one-stop treatment for all varieties of venous disease. A one-stop venous center is an innovative concept in American medicine, and the Tufts-NEMC Center is a welcome first for New England.

Vein problems are one of the most common diseases in the contemporary world. The variety of venous diseases ranges from unsightly spider veins through painful varicose