Why are wound care specialists better for wounds that will not heal?
If you have been told by your general doctor that you need to be referred to a wound care specialist for wounds that are not healing, you may be wondering why he cannot do something to help them heal.
After all, doesn’t a general practitioner have as much medical training as any of the wound care specialists in town?
Wound care specialists are specially trained — A wound care specialist does not just have the same general medical training that your doctor has. Instead, they have the usual medical training, plus an extra three years of training in treatment that is specific to taking care of wounds.
This means a wound specialist knows much more about why wounds and injuries heal, and why they do not, and also has access to specific treatments your doctor does not.
Specific treatments — While your doctor can clean wounds, bandage them and prescribe antibiotics if the wound is infected, wound care New Jersey specialists can do so much more.
They have access to treatments like ultrasounds, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, compression therapy, IV infusion therapy, diabetic therapy and even nutritional counseling. They can also offer chronic wound management over several months, as they will keep a strict eye on how your wound is healing and change therapies to something more effective as needed.
How does wound care specialist care work? — You will first be referred to a specialist by your doctor. The specialist will give you a thorough exam, including a detailed look at any wounds that are not healing. They will then take blood so various types of blood work can be done, and then clean and dress your wounds.
After the results of the blood work come back, along with the results of any other tests they have done, they will then create a detailed and customized treatment plan for you. A plan that will immediately be implemented, and then changed as wounds heal or do not heal.
Their plan is not only implemented so that your wounds will begin to heal. It is also implemented so that your general health will improve, as a stronger immune system will have a huge impact on wound healing.
How long will you see a wound care specialist? — There is no set time for seeing this type of specialist, as it all depends on the nature of your wounds, and the answers to a number of questions.
How long will your wounds take to heal? Does the wound care specialist need to change from one treatment plan to another that is more effective? Do they need to pull in other wound specialists to take a look at your injuries, and possibly recommend other treatments? Does your immune system need to be bolstered as well?
This means some patients will see a wound care specialist for several weeks as their wounds begin to heal. Others may see a specialist on an out-patient basis for several months. The time frame all depends on your specific situation, as well as the rate in which your wounds heal.
