What Is the IWC Model, and How Does It Revolutionize Wound Care?

What Is the Integrated Wound Care (IWC) Approach?

Professional wound care requires extensive knowledge, specialized training, and a thorough understanding of the healing process and factors that can affect proper healing and recovery. Wound care specialists must also understand the many factors that affect wound healing and the risks and complications associated with slow healing or poor healing. The integrated wound care approach is a holistic, comprehensive approach that provides multidimensional care and improved healing by involving the patient, their family and caregivers, and their medical care team in the wound healing process. At BH Wound Care, we use the integrated wound care approach to provide personalized wound care treatment using advanced wound healing techniques in Portland, OR; Los Angeles, CA; Vancouver, WA; and Nashville, TN. Call us now to schedule a consultation for professional wound assessment.

Understanding the IWC Model

The integrated wound care model focuses on creating a collaborative approach to the process of wound care services. It integrates innovative, state-of-the-art technologies, modern wound care techniques, and scientific, evidence-based therapies with home care and community care to create a fully dimensional and individualized care plan. Using the IWC approach facilitates communication and collaboration between patients, family members, caregivers, wound care specialists, and other medical professionals so that the patient receives the most comprehensive and holistic care possible.

Who Benefits From the IWC Model?

Everyone benefits when medical professionals use the IWC model for wound care. Patients, caregivers, family members, and medical professionals can all benefit:

• Patients – Patients benefit from the IWC model because they will get personalized care that reduces their risk of infection and other complications. They will gain greater confidence in caring for their wound, which can improve healing times, recovery times, and overall health and wellness.
• Medical Professionals – Medical professionals benefit from the IWC model because they have greater control and can provide a higher level of personalized, patient-centered care. They can also take advantage of resources, guidance, and state-of-the-art technology offered by wound care specialists.
• Friends and Family – Friends and family, particularly those who are acting as caregivers, can benefit from education and resources in wound care. Patients who have a network of educated supporters have better outcomes than those who are isolated. Collaborative care can also empower family and friends with the knowledge and techniques they need to provide proper wound care.
• Caregivers – Professional caregivers in a clinical setting like a nursing home, memory care facility, retirement home, or long-term care facility can benefit from the IWC approach because they will have access to the support and expertise of other wound care specialists. They can provide more focused attention to their patient when they have the support of other medical professionals.

Key Elements of Integrated Wound Care

The integrated wound care model includes four key elements. These elements work together to create a collaborative, comprehensive, and holistic approach to recovery, wound healing, and overall health and wellness:

• Patient, Family, and Caregivers – Using this approach, the patient, as well as their family and caregivers, will be given education, instruction, and resources on proper wound care. This can give caregivers more confidence and empower them to take control of the wound care process. By making the process more collaborative, patients are less likely to experience complications and may benefit from improved quality of life and better overall health and wellness.
• Healthcare Professionals – Not all healthcare professionals have experience in wound care. The integrated wound care approach involves healthcare professionals in the wound treatment process, giving them advanced knowledge and skills they might not otherwise develop. They will also receive assistance from wound care specialists and other professionals so that they have the time to devote to their patients.
• Wound Care Specialists and Other Professionals – Wound care specialists and other wound care professionals are the leaders of the IWC approach. They offer guidance, instruction, education, and resources to the rest of the care team to create a collaborative care environment. This allows the care team to develop a more patient-centered and individualized plan.
• Personalized, Patient-centered Care – The heart of the IWC approach is a personalized, patient-centered plan of care. The patient’s healthcare team can address underlying issues that could affect wound care, whether they are environmental, biological, physical, or psychological. Identifying these issues can help the patient and their care team overcome them and reduce the risk of complications during wound healing.

How Does IWC Revolutionize Wound Care?

Using an evidence-based approach to wound management can benefit each dimension of wound care. Medical professionals and wound care specialists who use the integrated wound care approach provide a personalized, patient-centered level of care that considers the underlying factors that affect wound healing and overall health and wellness. By involving the patient and others in the wound care plan, providers ensure the patient has the education, support, and resources needed to optimize healing and reduce the risk of complications. Collaborative care considers every factor that could affect wound healing, from environment, knowledge, resources, and overall health to the type and location of the wound and the skill of the person responsible for wound care.

Benefits of Advanced Wound Healing Techniques

Because most wound care services are provided in a patient’s home or in a home care setting, the patient often requires care and assistance from outside parties. These could be family and friends, professional caregivers, medical specialists, or even strangers. These providers often work without support from a professional or wound care specialist, which could increase the risk of infection or poor wound healing. Utilizing advanced wound healing techniques and the IWC approach to treatment can reduce those risks by making the care process more collaborative and integrative.

Explore Wound Care Management Innovations at BH Wound Care

At BH Wound Care, we use the integrated wound care approach to provide comprehensive, specialized wound care services. Our experienced, compassionate, certified wound care specialists offer holistic, collaborative care and provide education and instruction to you, your family and caregivers, and other medical professionals. This collaborative approach can address underlying factors that could affect wound healing so that we can optimize recovery, accelerate healing, and reduce the risk of complications. Call us now or reach out to us online to schedule a consultation to discuss our wound care management innovations in Portland, OR; Los Angeles, CA; Vancouver, WA; or Nashville, TN.