Debridement describes the removal of dead or devitalised tissue, in particular matter and foreign bodies from a wound bed and is generally accepted as a necessary precursor to the formation of new tissue (EWMA 2013).
Course description
This two-day course is led by the Newcastle Hospitals’ Tissue Viability Team who will teach the different methods of wound debridement, with a special focus on conservative sharp debridement.
Delegates will also hear from guest speakers from the specialties of Dermatology, Plastics, Podiatry as well as a physiology and anatomical expert.
The objective is to provide a summary of the professional accountability and legal issues associated with wound debridement alongside the theoretical basis to justify the decision-making process in the selection of the appropriate debriding agents.
A course pack will be provided on the first day, which will include the course handbook, notes from the presentations and other useful information.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this two-day course delegates will be able to:
- Explore human anatomy and physiology including in depth revision of the buttock, sacrum and lower limbs
- Identify normal and abnormal wound healing including when biopsy may be required
- Examine wound debridement techniques and identify the differences between conservative sharp debridement and surgical debridement
- Demonstrate clinical knowledge and practice skills required to perform safe and effective wound debridement techniques, using clinical grade pigs’ trotters practiced in laboratory conditions
- Use analytic skills to appraise the available literature related to wound debridement
- Opportunity to develop academic writing at Level 7.
Assessment criteria
- Formative assessment – completion of a pre-course work booklet provided 4 weeks before the start of the course to be submitted on the first day of the course
- Summative assessment – a 2000 word advanced level case study of care delivered to a patient with a complex wound to be submitted 12 weeks after the course
- Summative assessment – completion of a clinical competencies workbook to be submitted 24 weeks after the course, you will be expected to work with your chosen practice assessor for an estimated 10-15 hours of supervised practice to meet the course’s learning outcomes and achieve the practical competencies
Course lead
Dr Fania Pagnamenta, Clinical Academic Nurse Consultant has a real passion for tissue viability and wound care management and has years of experience supporting nurse colleagues on the wards to deliver wound care to their patients as well as colleagues’ professional development.
Academically, Dr Pagnamenta works at Northumbria University as a researcher where her main interests focus on leg ulceration, clinical pathways, and ways to prevent simple wounds from becoming chronic ulceration.
Audience and criteria
Applicants should be Registered nurses with a degree in nursing or related subject who work in a clinical area where complex wound care and wound debridement is regularly undertaken, and which supports learners.
They must also be able to identify a practice assessor in their organisation who is a designated Wound Care Health Professional.