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Wound, Ostomy and Continence Care

Valley County Health System’s Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurse (WOCN) assists patients with wounds, ostomies and continence disorders.

Kelly Geweke, RN, WOCN, is functions as Valley County Health System’s consultant for patients with complex draining wounds, fistulae, pressure ulcers, vascular ulcers, ostomies and problems related to incontinence.

Wound Care

Our wound care nurse provides specialized care and directs interventions that can accelerate the healing process and provide cost savings. Specifically, the wound care nurse can:

• Educate patients, family and nursing staff about preventative measures or management techniques to promote wound healing.
• Implement plans to prevent pressure ulcers and other wounds from developing.
• Reduce the percentage of patients who develop pressure ulcers.

Ostomy Care

An ostomy is a surgically created opening in the body for the discharge of wastes. Our ostomy care will:

• Provide pre-operative visits and stoma site selection for elective procedures.
• Develop rehabilitations plans to help the patient return to a productive lifestyle.
• Deliver patient and family education to help master management and care of the ostomy and ensure correct use of care products.
• Deliver follow-up care or arrange for home health nursing.
• Help patients and families identify problems that should be reported to a physician or wound care nurse.

Continence Care

Early identification and treatment of underlying causes are essential in reducing complications related to urinary and/or fecal incontinence. Once causes are determined, the most appropriate and effective approach can be formulated. The wound care nurse can:

• Assess patients to learn the cause and type of incontinence.
• Collaborate with physicians and other healthcare providers to develop a care plan for the control of incontinence.
• Teach care providers, patients and families the steps to correct incontinence or effectively manage it at home.

Foot and Nail Care

Our wound care nurse is also educated in basic and intermediate foot care. Basic foot care consists of a yearly assessment, foot hygiene, and comfort and patient education. The goals of intermediate foot care are to educate the patient in foot self-care, promote skin integrity and prevent ulceration or injuries. Our nurse can:

• Educate the patient, family or caregiver in basic foot care.
• Provide lower extremity assessment at each visit.
• Detect early problems and provide prompt diagnostic and treatment interventions.
• Make referrals to specialists if assessment warrants.

Contact

For more information, view the Wound Care Brochure or call 308.728.4200.