A multinational health professional perspective of the prevalence of mood disorders in patients with acute and chronic wounds.

Recent research has started to identify mood disorders and problems associated with acute and chronic wounds, which have been shown to contribute to delayed healing, poor patient well-being and a reduced quality of life. Furthermore, mood disorders have been shown to have a negative impact on financial costs for service providers and the wider society in terms of treatment and sickness absence. This study aimed to survey a multinational sample of health professionals to explore their perspective and awareness of mood disorders amongst acute and chronic wound patients. Responses were received from n = 908 health professionals working in Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. A strong awareness of the prevalence of mood disorders appeared to be widespread among the health professionals across the world, in addition to a view on the potential factors contributing to these problems with mood. Despite this, it was thought that few patients were actually receiving treatment for their mood disorders. Implications for clinical practice include the need for health professionals to engage actively with their patients to enable them to learn from their experiences. Studies that explore the benefits of treatments and techniques appropriate for minimising mood disorders in patients with wounds would provide empirical evidence for health professionals to make recommendations for patients with acute and chronic wounds.

Painful dressing changes for chronic wounds: assessment and management.

Wound pain can arise from the wound itself, continuing wound treatment and anticipatory pain, which occurs in some patients as a consequence of negative experiences of care. Specifically, pain caused by the removal and application of dressings has been identified as a major contributor to wound pain, from both patient and health professional perspectives. This article reviews literature on the impact of pain at dressing change, and provides practical suggestions for assessment and management of pain during wound care.

The experience of burnout across different surgical specialties in the United Kingdom: a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: We used a cross-sectional e-mail survey to assess the prevalence of psychological morbidity across different surgical specialties and identify predictor variables of burnout in surgeons. METHOD: The survey was sent to 1971 surgeons from 127 National Health Service (NHS) hospital trusts across the United Kingdom. Burnout prevalence and mood were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey and Profile of Mood States (POMS), respectively. Demographic and POMS factors were investigated as predictors of burnout using linear and stepwise regression analyses. RESULTS: Responses to the survey were received from 342 surgeons (17% response rate). One-third of 313 respondents showed high mean levels of burnout on exhaustion (2.32; standard deviation [SD], 1.62) and cynicism (2.34; SD, 1.44) subscales. Some specialties worked significantly more hours per week (F[8, 252] = 2.89; P = .004), but burnout prevalence did not differ significantly between specialty, grade, age, gender, hours worked per week, or years spent in post. The number of years in specialty (ß = -0.17; P = .003) independently predicted surgeons' scores on exhaustion. POMS factors significantly predicted burnout, where fatigue (ß = 0.58; P < .001) was the best predictor of exhaustion scores, depression (ß = 0.28; P < .001) the best predictor of cynicism, and vigor (ß = 0.29; P < .001) the best predictor of professional efficacy. Management issues were cited as contributing to psychological morbidity. CONCLUSION: UK surgeons show high levels of cynicism and exhaustion burnout irrespective of their specialty, grade, or hours worked per week. Surgeons' mood profiles significantly predicted burnout, indicating the POMS could be used as part of an assessment for preventive interventions. NHS management and infrastructure are highlighted as influences on surgeons' psychological health.

Psychosocial aspects of living with non-cancer-related lymphoedema.

Lymphoedema is a chronic condition that causes swelling, pain, altered appearance and reduced mobility. Little is known about the psychosocial effects. This review aims to identify psychosocial aspects of living with non-cancer-related lymphoedema, as such information is not readily available to healthcare professionals or patients.

Managing stress and pain to prevent patient discomfort, distress and delayed wound healing.

This article explores the relationship between stress and delayed wound healing, together with the role of pain as a stressor. It offers practical advice on regular assessment and management of stress and pain during wound care.