The advanced practice nurse in the adequacy of chronic, complex wound care

Abstract Aim To determine the impact of advanced practice nurses in chronic wound care in the adequacy of treatments for patients with chronic wounds and the consumption of dressings in the districts where they have been implemented. Method A quasi-experimental pre-poststudy without a control group with 3 measurements: pre-implementation in 2015, one year after implementation in 2016, and 2 years post-implementation in 2017, in the health districts (HD) where the role of the advanced practice nurse in chronic wound care was piloted in Andalusia. The main variables were trained professionals, consultancies, prevalence of chronic wounds, adequacy of treatments and economic cost in materials for the participating HD. Results The training of a total of 2717 health teams with a total of 95,095 teaching hours was achieved. In addition, a total of 3871 consultancies were performed. The prevalence of patients with injuries in the home care (HC) programme and in care homes diminished significantly, to almost half. The adequacy of the treatments increased to 90% and savings of more than 250,000€ in dressings were achieved in just 2 years. Conclusion The prevalence of chronic wounds during the 2 years of implementation decreased by almost half. Adequacy of training and consultancy was achieved, rationalising health expenditure and ensuring efficient care for patients with chronic wounds.