Tag: Laura Swoboda

Laura Swoboda, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP

 

Nurse practitioners (NPs) are valuable members within the field of wound management. As licensed, independent clinicians, NPs practice autonomously and coordinate with other health care professionals and individuals. Half a century of research definitively demonstrates that NPs provide high-quality health care services across a person’s lifetime and in diverse settings. Nurse practitioners receive graduate-level education, with master’s or doctoral degrees, and possess the knowledge and clinical competency to provide health care beyond their initial registered nurse preparation. As providers that blend clinical expertise in diagnosing and treating acute and chronic health conditions, emphasizing disease prevention, health management, and patient education … read more

by Laura Swoboda DNP, APNP, FNP-C, FNP-BC, CWOCN-AP
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been increased confusion regarding the diagnostic clarity of some skin lesions, especially in the critical care population. These lesions can be challenging to differentiate from other dermatological conditions seen in this population, including skin failure and deep tissue pressure injuries. During severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, endothelial dysfunction and hypercoagulability1 occur, and COVID-19 patients are at increased risk for ischemic lesions that mimic the appearance of deep tissue pressure injuries. In addition, similarities in underlying pathophysiologic mechanisms of these skin conditions can cause diagnostic overlap … read more

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Wound care can be a surprisingly emotional field. Some days it can feel like every patient visit contains challenging emotional situations that clinicians must also recover from with resilience not to carry that energy to the next visit. These stressors can be related to the patient’s medical status and critical conversations regarding their health, pain and anxiety, the death of a patient’s close family members, and even access to basic necessities like safe housing and social support. Factors other than the health care they receive are driving outcomes, consistent with what we know about social determinants of health which determine 80% of health outcomes. These life stressors and the stressors that have occurred throughout the patient’s life can contribute to physiologic changes that further delay wound healing … read more