Wound care costs the U.S. healthcare system more than $20 billion each year, including more than $4 billion spent on wound management products.1 On many wound care products, the indications and directions for application are printed only on the package insert, which is regularly thrown away. Moreover, the inner pouch usually contains limited information. Not only can the lack of this information leave the user guessing what the dressing looks like, what its indications are, how to apply and when to remove it, but is also creates additional time and product waste.
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) estimates that nearly 15 million instances of medical harm occur in the United States each year – a rate of more than 40,000 per day.2 These medical errors cost the nation approximately $37.6 billion each year; about $17 billion of those costs are associated with preventable errors, according to the November 1999 report of the Institute of Medicine (IOM).3
Medline's redesigned Advanced Wound Care packaging allows each package to serve as a two-minute course on advanced wound care. The innovative packaging design is an improved delivery and communication system to help healthcare professionals better understand and more easily deliver wound care at the patient's bedside. It reduces confusion with clear, step by-step information, eliminating the clutter and highlighting critical information. In a study, the use of educational packaging made a significant improvement in the nurse's ability to select and apply the correct dressing the correct way. 4
1. Jackson S & Stevens J. 2009 [cited 2009 Sep 22]. The future of wound care. [Internet]. Washington, DC: Medical Device Link.com. Available at: http://www.devicelink.com/mx/archive/06/01/jackson.html.
2. Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Overview of the 5 Million Lives Campaign. Available at: http://www.ihi.org/IHI/Programs/Campaign/Campaign.htm?TabId=1. Accessed October 30, 2008.
3. Kohn LT, Corrigan JM, Donaldson MS, eds. To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1999. Available at: http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=9728&page=27. Accessed August 11, 2009.
4. Kent DJ. Effects of an educational guide placed on a wound dressing package. 2008. Publication pending.
