Juana Jimenez Sanchez, Director of Nursing at the Quality and Health Education General Directorate, reported that more than 95 Care Clinics for Patients with Chronic Wounds operate nationwide. These clinics are located within the medical units of the health sector. Among the most important chronic wounds, that specialized nursing staff prevents and treats in this clinics, is ulcer — a condition that could be prevented in 95 percent of cases.
These clinics arose from the initiative of the nursing union. They found a high frequency of this type of injury in their daily work; which can lead to a foot amputation, if they are not timely cared.
Jiménez Sánchez said that some years ago, the Permanent Commission of Nursing presented the project on implementing these clinics. In 2013, it was launched the strategy for specialized medical services within the Ministry of Health, which currently provides comprehensive care to patients with this type of wounds.
The Director of Nursing added that these clinics also treat pressure ulcers, which are caused by remaining confined to a wheelchair or bed.
Jiménez Sánchez said that timely deal with such wounds helps prevent health complications in patients — in this case amputation — and reduces health care costs, because it avoids hospitalization.
This care model has been so successful that it has been approved and implemented by other health sector institutions such as Mexican Social Security Institute (IMSS) and the Institute for Security and Social Services for State Workers (ISSSTE). Furthermore, the spatiality ‘Caring for Chronic Wounds’ has been created for nursing professionals, and is currently taught in two universities in the country.
Source: Secretaría de Salud
