The effect of patient education with telephone follow-up on wound healing in adult patients with clean wounds: a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of clean dressing technique in a home-care setting following a patient education program and telephone follow-up in a group of adult patients to wound healing in patients managed by sterile dressing changes by professional nurses in a general care outpatient clinic. DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: The sample comprised adult patients with clean wounds who attended a general outpatient clinic in the Kowloon East district, a densely populated urban area in Hong Kong. Sixty-five subjects were randomly allocated to the intervention group and 61 were allocated to the control group. INSTRUMENT The Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT) was used to measure progress toward wound healing. METHODS: We compared a control group of patients who received normal wound care (sterile dressing changes by professional nurses in a nonspecialized outpatient clinic) to a group of adult patients who managed their wounds using clean technique for dressing changes in their home following education on wound care. The intervention group also received follow-up telephone calls on days 1 and 3. The BWAT was completed to assess the wounds of both groups on the patients' first attendance and once a week until their wounds had healed. RESULTS: Analysis revealed no significant differences between groups based on demographic or pertinent clinical characteristics. The mean BWAT score decreased in 2 weeks, from 27.26 to 15.15 (Freidman test, χ= 26.00, P < .000) for the intervention group and from 27.11 to 17.15 (Freidman test, χ= 24.15, P < .000) for the control group. A Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the differences between the 2 groups based on total BWAT score. No statistically significant differences were found when groups were compared at baseline (Z =-0.416, P = .678), week 1 (Z =-1.313, P = .189), or week 2 (Z =-0.905, P = .418). CONCLUSION: No differences in wound healing were found when patients who dressed their wounds at home using clean techniques versus patients who had their wounds dressed with sterile technique by professional nurses in a general outpatient clinic.