I hate wound care terminology

[Emergent]

I really admire wound care specialists. I'm so bad at it. When I am forced to describe a wound or skin problem I always have to resort to layman talk; scabby, flaky, reddened, etc.

Wound care terminology is like an eskimo describing snow.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

Very interesting! I think I remember policy at my last facility being not to use the term skin tear, but to simply describe it. Boy do facilities do whatever they can to cover their butts.

I don't know that superficial *traumatic* wound sounds much better though.

I'm in homecare, so it's the opposite...if we're trying to justify sending a nurse out for wound care we want it to sound kinda worse actually. Care of a skin tear will not warrant skilled nursing.

[Roy Hanson]

dont you just love the NEW medical terminology..makes the nastiest wound sound gross! I prefer keeping the patient calm. THEY know it hurts and why we are treating them. Grow some thick skin, thats why you got into the medical field (sounds official dont it), to help HEAL! If its stupidity that caused the wound, treat it, turn the cheek. Job done! Next please!

[kbrn2002, ADN, RN]

One time in LTACH we got a patient from low level group home with mysterious symptoms and wound on his abdomen. The group home had no RN on premices, only one LPN who clearly left school around the time when the last dinosaurs roamed the Earth. She was locally known for very detailed and very unprofessionally expressed documentation.

That time, the description sounded approximately like this: a hole wide enough to pass two my gloved fingers; upon taking them out, they smelled like Sloppy Joe patient just ate, but a good deal rotten.

It was gastrocolonic fistula, after all. The food passed directly from stomach to transwerse colon and from there out farther away or on skin. We were thinking long time who else would imagine sticking fingers into that badly looking "hole" and then smelling them, noticing what was eaten an hour before.

well, you can't deny that the charting was descriptive enough to "paint a picture" that everyone reading could clearly understand...and probably never forget!

[Roy Hanson]

I enjoy the terms used...Low Level group home! How ego on your part! Not everyone has the luxury of a catered retirement apartments, with $4K/month rent. The LPN was veteran and used language, EVERY one understands. NOW, hang your ego at the door next time you deal with a fistula in a patient. Your there to deal with a wound. Get off the Cross, I need the wood to heat the house.