Key Areas of Concern
The focus on treatment vs. prevention of Canadian health systems leads to increased patient suffering and wasted health-care dollars. This is true across all wound types except surgical. For wounds that are not preventable, there is often a lack of attention to preventing them from becoming chronic.
Evidence-informed best practice is not standard in all jurisdictions. Clinician education needs improvement and government policies must align with the latest best practice research.
While many jurisdictions claim to be patient-focused, none, in fact, are. A true patient focus would prevent many wounds from forming in the first place and prevent existing acute wounds from become chronic.
Wounds Defined
A wound is an injury to living tissue, most often where the skin integrity is interrupted. Most people are familiar—often through personal experience—with common wounds such as cuts, scrapes, blisters, and minor burns. Some wounds can be have a serious impact on the individual because they are deep and/or extensive. These might include stab wounds, gunshot wounds, major burns and many types of surgical incisions.
In healthy individuals, most wounds heal on their own over time with minimal intervention. These are known as acute wounds.
However, for people with conditions such as diabetes, poor blood flow in the legs, neurological or sensory deficits, musculoskeletal conditions, etc., wound healing can be slow or stall completely. These slow, stalled or non-healing wounds are known as chronic wounds. These slow, stalled or non-healing wounds are known as chronic wounds, and they can sometimes be present for years if left untreated. This wound type can lead to serious complications such as significantly altered lifestyle, amputation and death. Patients with chronic wounds usually need the assistance of an experienced wound management team to address the reasons the wound is not healing as expected.
Media Releases
Wounds Canada informs the public and stakeholders about key issues related to skin and wound care. The media is one communication vehicle used to raise awareness of current matters:
February 21, 2024
Wounds Canada and the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) are pleased to launch the Skin Health Program for Personal Care Providers. This new program, offered through the Wounds Canada Institute, is an innovation in skin health education specifically designed for personal care providers to enhance their knowledge in skin health and the prevention of common forms of skin damage, within their role as unregulated care providers supervised by nurses.
The Skin Health Program for Personal Care Providers was built on the success of a previous collaboration between Wounds Canada and RNAO, launched in 2022 – the Wound Care Champion Program was aimed at regulated health professionals. The new skin health program was developed specifically to support and equip unregulated care providers with the knowledge needed for healthy skin.
Click here to view.
November 1, 2023
Earlier this year Wounds Canada joined forces with the American Limb Preservation Society, the Canadian Podiatric Association and D Foot International to create a Limb Preservation Alliance to address, promote and advocate for limb preservation. The new alliance aligns with Wounds Canada’s mission to enable health-care providers to improve their practice and ensure the best possible care for persons with wounds or at risk for developing wounds.
Wounds Canada is pleased to join our partners in the Limb Preservation Alliance by participating in Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day on November 14, 2023, to raise awareness of and confront diabetes as a critical global health issue.
Click here to view.
October 1, 2023
Wounds Canada’s National Hybrid Conference, the largest wound-related event in Canada, welcomed nearly 600 attendees in person at Fallsview Casino Resort in beautiful Niagara Falls, Ontario, last week on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe people. Over 1200 individuals attended in total including virtual participants.
The conference, themed Knowledge and Innovation to Drive Change, began on September 28 and included three full days of impressive programming and networking delivered both in-person and online. It was an opportunity to reunite with colleagues, peers and faculty, engage in discussions, participate in educational sessions, network with peers and stay current with the latest information in wound prevention and management.
Click here to view.
September 1, 2023
September is Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) awareness month. The American Limb Preservation Society, the Canadian Podiatric Medical Association, D-Foot International and Wounds Canada are excited to announce a new vital public awareness campaign, bringing together regional, national, and international organizations to address the growing concern of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). This disease, affecting millions worldwide, encompasses all non-coronary arterial diseases and often leads to reduced or blocked blood flow to limbs.
The "If You Think It’s Just Leg Pain…Think Again” PAD awareness campaign will provide:
- Information for clinicians to enhance patient collaboration.
- Awareness programs targeting individuals with diabetes and the professional healthcare community.
Click here to view.
July 28, 2023
We are thrilled to announce Wounds Canada has joined with the Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council (KTC) to develop a set of resources focused on skin health and wound management in Indigenous-oriented home care in Alberta. Developed with funding from Indigenous Services Canada, the set of resources was the result of a need identified by First Nation Home and Community Care staff directly providing services in First Nation communities.
Click here to view.
October 12, 2022
To help address an increase in acute and hard-to-heal wounds, Wounds Canada and the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario (RNAO) are launching a program designed to deliver evidence-informed, interdisciplinary proficient-level wound education for front-line clinicians. The Wound Care Champion Program (WCCP) will train regulated health professionals in Ontario as wound care champions, with 200 spots to be funded by the provincial Ministry of Health.
Click here to view.
April 11, 2022
Wounds Canada is thrilled to announce we have partnered with Lakehead University's School of Nursing and School of Social Work to host the first-ever virtual Patient Journey Conference on Thursday, June 9 and Friday, June 10. Called Our Voices, Our Stories, the conference will bring individuals, families and caregivers affected by complex wounds together with researchers, health and social service providers, educators, community leaders, and policymakers. The even is funded through a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and Dr. Ide Costa from the School of Nursing is the conference’s chair.
Click here to view.
April 11, 2022
We're excited to announce Wounds Canada and Health Espresso have partnered on a digital solution that enables front-line clinicians, patients, policymakers, and researchers to digitize a patient’s journey and connect members of allied health teams at the right time to decrease acute and hard-to-heal wounds, reduce hospitalizations and improve patient outcomes. Leveraging this technology will enable Wounds Canada to establish a Canadian national registry that can inform further research in wound care and provide quick and easy access to Wounds Canada’s validated tools and resources for immediate bedside action by clinicians and help support wound management by patients, especially those living in outlying communities.
Click here to view.
May 19, 2021
We're excited to announce that Diabetes Canada and Wounds Canada have partnered to address the gaps in care related to foot care and amputation prevention that have arisen as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. A special webinar event for patients living with diabetes and their caregivers will be presented on Facebook Live, Thursday, May 20 at 2 p.m. EDT.
April 18, 2016
A Positive Response from the Quebec Health Minister
On February 13th, Wounds Canada, in collaboration with CAET and RQSP, sent a letter to the Minister of Health of Quebec (click to view). Together, we raised concern for the potential closing of the clinique des plaies complexes de l'hôtel-Dieu de Lévis. This interprofessional wound care clinic provides essential, cost-effective patient care and an effective net cost-savings to the healthcare system. On April 18th, the Minister’s office replied requesting a face-to-face meeting with Wounds Canada and one of the Minister’s staff members.
April 12, 2016
Wounds Canada and RNAO are advocating for policy change to prevent diabetes-related foot ulcers and amputations.
October 31, 2014:
New awareness campaign aims to close the care gap, reduce limb amputations for Canadian peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients.
September 19, 2013
RNAO and Wounds Canada join forces to produce quarterly Diabetic Foot Canada Journal, helping to aid in the national eradication of diabetic foot ulcers.
May 2, 2012
New survey reveals Canadians living with diabetes aren’t putting their best foot forward when it comes to proper foot care.
November 8, 2010
Wounds Canada identifies ways to strengthen wound care delivery, reallocate health care dollars.
June 28, 2010
To reduce the prevalence of amputations due to complications of the diabetic foot, Wounds Canada is stepping up their awareness and public education campaign. Through funding from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Wounds Canada developed a new website that is easy for those with diabetes and health care providers to navigate. It contains steps to take for healthy feet, contacts for foot care professionals, questionnaires and a wealth of other invaluable information every person living with diabetes should know.
Overview
Established in 1995, the Canadian Association of Wound Care (CAWC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing skin health and wound management in Canada. Under the banner of Wounds Canada, the organization is a leader in moving the latest evidence into the public domain to support best practices in skin- and wound-related care to improve the lives of all Canadians.
Our efforts fall into four categories:
Advocacy and Awareness
Bringing awareness to Canadians of issues related to skin health and wound management to improve patient self-management activities and prevent costly and devastating wound-related complications; making recommendations to governments that will result in better patient outcomes and cost savings.
Education
Creating educational materials and programs for all stakeholders.
Research
Supporting, co-ordinating and promoting skin and wound research, communicating the results of research to stakeholders in a form they can use, identifying gaps that researchers can address
Partnerships
Working with other organizations to advance skin health and effective wound care in Canada.
Current Campaigns
CAWC Education
The CAWC offers opportunities to health-care professionals using various methods to provide flexible, interprofessional education that supports the learning needs and professional career growth in the areas of skin health, wound prevention and management. The strength of the programs lies not only in their content and delivery methods, but also because they are part of a continuum of learning aimed at improving the practice of health-care professionals all levels, in all settings and across the entire country. Because our educational programs are linked to our publications, social media channels and conference, the messages are reinforced and accessible regardless of the learning style of the HCP. This “layering” is one of the strength’s of CAWC Education.
The basis for the education is a series of online modules that provide foundational knowledge of wound prevention and management.
Online Modules: Laying the Foundation
The basis for the education is a series of online modules that provide foundational knowledge of wound prevention and management. The Ontario Hospital Association and the Canadian Association of Wound Care (CAWC) have partnered to create the Foundations of Wound Care program, composed of five online modules. Modules
Principles of Wound Healing is a free online module that should be completed before starting the four modules below:
- Introduction to Wounds
- Prevention and Management of Venous Leg Ulcers
- Prevention and Management of Pressure Ulcers
- Prevention and Management of Diabetic Foot Ulcers
For more information or to register, please visit http://www.oha.com/Education/OnlineTrainingandTools/Pages/WoundCare.aspx
The Foundations of Wound Care program is the prerequisite for Case-Based Workshop: Changing Practice through Applied Knowledge. Please note that if you intend to register for this two day workshop, the 5 modules are included in the workshop registration fee (unless otherwise mentioned).