Chronic wounds, like pressure injuries and diabetic foot ulcers, affect more than 6 million people in the U.S.1
When these wounds don’t heal properly, they can lead to serious complications requiring patient hospitalization, including infection and amputations. It’s estimated that $25 billion is spent annually in the U.S. to treat these wounds1 – from developing inpatient wound care programs and receiving more comprehensive training on best care practices, to arming patients with additional self-care strategies to support wound healing at home. These factors make it critical that providers and hospital leaders prioritize wound care.
Introducing the ADMIN Method
We know that wound healing is a complex process with multiple stages that vary depending on the type and severity of the wound, as well as patient age and health status. While many factors can impact wound healing, there are core pillars of proper wound care that should be implemented to help reduce the risk of complications and hospitalizations. ADMIN is a simple acronym that I like to use, which can help healthcare providers, caregivers and patients remember the traditional wound care steps, plus an often overlooked factor that is important for wound healing. ADMIN stands for:
- Alleviate pressure
- Debride and dress
- Moisturize
- Improve circulation
- Nutrition intervention
Nutrition is Often the Missing Ingredient
While some measures like cleaning, closing and dressing the wound are prescriptive mainstays for podiatrists, nurses, and wound care specialists, there is a step in the ADMIN approach that is just as important, but frequently overlooked: therapeutic nutrition.
Whether a patient is coping with a chronic wound, or an acute wound from a surgical incision or injury, not getting enough of key nutrients can slow down their healing process. Just like the body needs fuel to build and maintain muscles, it also needs additional calories as well as protein, amino acids, vitamins and minerals to generate new tissue at the wound site. However, for patients with poor or inadequate nutrition stores, and/or those managing other health conditions, sometimes a balanced diet is not enough.
That’s when a healthcare provider should incorporate a nutrition supplement like Juven® to help support wound healing from the inside, out. This therapeutic nutrition drink from Abbott is backed by numerous clinical studies and has been shown to support wound healing by enhancing collagen formation in as little as two weeks2,3*. Collagen formation is critical in the wound healing process. Juven is a simple addition to a wound care plan that can be easily used in hospital, long-term care and home healthcare settings, and it helps support wound healing with key ingredients, including:
- Arginine — an amino acid that promotes blood flow and is a building block for proteins which can contribute to wound healing.
- Glutamine — an amino acid that helps cells produce the building blocks needed for new tissue.
- HMB — helps to protect muscle cells and preserve and maintain muscle tissue.
- Hydrolyzed collagen protein – helps stimulate internal collagen formulation.
- Micronutrients — Zinc, vitamins C, E, B12 which are important in the wound healing process.
Keeping the ADMIN care steps top of mind and emphasizing the important role nutrition has in wound healing can help ensure that providers, caregivers and patients are well-equipped to manage the recovery process. If you’re interested in learning more about Juven for your practice or facility, and how it can be integrated into a wound care plan, visit Juven.com.
* in both healthy elderly adults and patients with diabetic foot ulcers, taking 2 servings per day, as measured by hydroxyproline levels.
1Sen CK, Gordillo GM, Roy S, et al. Human skin wounds: a major and snowballing threat to public health and the economy. Wound Repair Regen. 2009;17(6):763-771
2 Williams JZ, et al. Ann Surg. 2002; 236:369-374.
3 Jones, et al. Surgical Infections, Vol. 15,6 (2014): 708-12.