V. Rendell1, T. J. Esposito2, A. Gibson1 2UnityPoint Health,Wound Care And Hyperbaric Medicine,Peoria, ILLINOIS, USA 1University Of Wisconsin,Department Of General Surgery,Madison, WI, USA
Introduction: Chronic wounds affect an estimated 6.5 million patients in the United States (US). The aging population and obesity epidemic in the US are expected to intensify the burden of disease from chronic wounds. Comprehensive wound care centers have been well described to improve patient outcomes. Despite this, little is known regarding surgeon participation in wound centers, particularly surgeons’ opinions of their potential role in wound care centers.
Methods: The memberships of the American College of Surgeons and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma were solicited via email to participate in an online Qualtrics survey as a convenience sample. The survey consisted of 60 multiple choice and Likert scale type questions covering demographics, characterization of wound centers at the surgeons’ practices, and surgeons’ professional experiences with wound centers. Results were reported as percentages out of total responses or means with standard deviations (SD).
Results: A total of 364 surgeons responded to the survey. Respondents were mostly male (83%) with a mean age 57.4 years (SD 10.7yr). Respondents were in practice 24.6 years on average (SD 11.7yr). General surgeons represented 34% of respondents while 26% classified themselves as acute care surgeons, 21% plastic surgeons, 9% vascular surgeons, and 10% burn surgeons or other. The majority (73%) were in group practice with over half (58%) in a hospital based setting. Nearly all were board certified (98%), but only 6% were certified by the American Board of Wound Management. A wound center existed where 69% of the respondents practiced, and 61% utilized the centers. The majority of wound center directors were general surgeons (49%) followed by plastic surgeons (20%). Respondents’ perceptions of wound care centers are summarized in Figure 1. Respondents had a mostly favorable experience with wound centers and indicated interest in participating in a wound practice. Most respondents (53%) were interested in formal wound care/hyperbaric oxygen therapy certification. Respondents were overall unsure of the financial aspects of running a wound center and indicated concern for increased cost to patients. Respondents generally perceived a benefit of wound centers for patient care and wound healing time.
Conclusion: With increasing burden of disease from chronic wounds in the US, there exists an unmet need for comprehensive wound care management. Surgeons are interested in transitioning their focus to wound care as part of their career and pursuing advanced wound care training. Further efforts are needed to educate surgeons with interest in wound care specialization and create a pathway for surgeons to become directors of wound centers.
