A first wound care clinic visit usually includes a detailed wound assessment, a review of your health history, a blood flow check, a conversation about pressure relief, and a written care plan with follow-up dates. Bringing your medication list, wound history and questions helps you get the most from it.
What does a wound care clinic do?
Wound care clinics focus on wounds that need more attention than a general visit allows, such as diabetic foot ulcers, pressure injuries, and other slow-healing or complex wounds. The team often includes wound care, podiatry and sometimes vascular specialists working on a single plan.
If you're not sure whether your wound qualifies, see what makes a wound chronic.
What happens at your first wound clinic visit?
Expect an exam and measurements, questions about your health, a circulation check, and a care plan.
- A detailed wound assessment. The provider will examine the wound's size, depth, appearance, and surrounding skin, often measuring and photographing it to track changes over time.
- A review of your health history. Diabetes management, circulation, medications, and prior wound history all factor into the care plan.
- Vascular assessment. Many clinics check blood flow to the affected area, since circulation plays a major role in healing capacity.
- Discussion of offloading needs. If the wound is on a weight-bearing area, expect a conversation about pressure relief options; our guide to offloading devices for diabetic foot ulcers explains the common ones.
- A wound care plan. This typically includes cleaning method, dressing or product recommendations, and a follow-up schedule.
How should you prepare for a wound care appointment?
Bring your medication list, a short history of the wound, any photos, and your questions written down.
- Bring a list of current medications, including over-the-counter products and supplements
- Note when the wound first appeared and how it's changed since then
- Bring or wear easily removable footwear if the wound is on your foot
- Write down questions ahead of time, since it's easy to forget them once you're in the appointment
- Bring photos if you've been tracking the wound's appearance over time
How often are wound care clinic follow-up visits?
Follow-up is often weekly while a wound is actively healing, to reassess progress and adjust the plan.
Consistency with these visits is generally considered an important part of care. Between appointments, our step-by-step guide to diabetic wound care at home can help you keep up the routine your clinic sets.
How Lavior's Diabetic Wound Hydrogel fits in
Lavior™ Diabetic Wound Hydrogel helps maintain a moist wound environment when used for the indications described on its label. Follow the product instructions and your healthcare professional's wound care plan. Like every Lavior formula, it is built around Inula AGS-RIED, Lavior's proprietary extract of the Mediterranean plant Inula viscosa. If you're considering it, ask your wound care team whether it fits the plan they've set for you.
Sources
- Schultz GS, et al. Wound bed preparation: a systematic approach to wound management. Wound Repair Regen. 2003;11(Suppl 1):S1–S28. doi:10.1046/j.1524-475X.11.s2.1.x
- Frykberg RG, Banks J. Challenges in the treatment of chronic wounds. Adv Wound Care. 2015;4(9):560–582. doi:10.1089/wound.2015.0635
