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Psychology of Wounds and Wound Care in Clinical Practice

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Abstract

As noted in other chapters, chronic wounds may cause financial, emotional and psychological strain for the patient. However, it is not just the wound that can cause these problems- it may also be the treatment for their wound. This chapter explores some of the psychological issues related to the treatment for chronic wounds, detailing three particular areas of treatment. Firstly, the stresses and strains of dressing change are explored. This highlights how the pain and stress may be associated with the dressing regime and, how, changing to an appropriate dressing choice may reduce both pain and stress. In such a way it may be possible to improve healing by reducing the stress associated with inappropriate dressing technique. Secondly, compression therapy will be explored and how concordance with this may be low and thereby reducing the effectiveness of the treatment. Techniques to improve concordance with treatment will also be explored. Finally, the pain and stress of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) will be outlined and how this may change across the course of treatment- emphasising the need to assess psychological variables throughout the course of any health related intervention.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, Aust Capital Terr, Australia

    Dominic Upton

  2. Institute of Health and Society, University of Worcester, Worcester, UK

    Penney Upton

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  1. Dominic Upton
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  2. Penney Upton
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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Upton, D., Upton, P. (2015). Treatment. In: Psychology of Wounds and Wound Care in Clinical Practice. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09653-7_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09653-7_6

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