With Mickey Mouse in the house, the 28th annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin and Wound Care was held in October 2013 at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Conference goers had the unique setting of a monorail running right through the resort, carrying its travelers to the Magic Kingdom Park or Epcot Center. Many attendees took advantage of the opportunity to stay at a Disney Resort and make it a family vacation.
Before the main conference began, several preconference workshops were held, including a "Comprehensive Wound Care Review Course" and "Wound Debridement Skills Lab."
This year's keynote address to kick off the official start of the symposium was delivered by Courtney H. Lyder, ND, ScD(Hon), FAAN, who spoke on "Quality of Care Indicators: Measuring the Effectiveness of Wound Care." Dr Lyder's energetic presence kept the audience on its toes. The session was designed to help clinicians interpret the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality measures for wound healing and identify ways to strengthen wound care programs in facilities.
The first night was capped by the opening of the Exhibit Hall, allowing conference attendees to stroll the rows of exhibits and talk with industry vendors, network with colleagues, and meet members of symposium faculty. More than 125 posters were also on display, ranging from case studies to educational endeavors. And, one of the most popular and famous guests of the evening was none other than Mickey Mouse himself, who posed for pictures with his many adoring fans!
The second day of the symposium began with a satellite symposium breakfast meeting with the topic, "Evil Exudate: Managing Its Wrath on the Periwound." The event was sponsored by Milliken Healthcare Products, LLC. In the grand ballroom, some special award presentations (see sidebar) were held, followed by a general session on "Wound Bed Preparation 2013: Current and Future Predictions," given by Elizabeth A. Ayello, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, CWON, MAPWCA, FAAN, and R. Gary Sibbald, MD, BSc, FRCPC(Med)(Derm), MACP, FAAD, MEd, MAPWCA. A total of 16 breakout sessions followed throughout the day, as well as during the second full day of conference activities.
During the Poster Networking Event, the winner of each of 3 categories was announced (see sidebar). Also held on the second night was a satellite symposium dinner event sponsored by KCI (San Antonio, Texas) on "Navigating Complex Wound Care Strategies with Modern Technologies: Interactive Case Presentations."
Additional general sessions presented over the 4-day symposium included the following: "Can We Predict Who Will Heal? The Validation and Use of the Wound Healing Index," "Menacing Microorganisms: Invisible, Seemingly Mindless Organisms," and "NPUAP Monograph Highlights." The closing keynote session, "ICD-10-CM Countdown: Are You Prepared?" was given by Kathleen D. Schaum, MS.
Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins extends a special thank-you to the following organizations for their support of this year's meeting: Advances in Skin & Wound Care; American College of Hyperbaric Medicine; American Professional Wound Care Association; Hill-Rom; Hollister Incorporated; KCI; Milliken Healthcare Products, LLC; Neutraphor; and Smith & Nephew Wound Management.
Although we have recently concluded our annual conference, it's not too early to mark your calendars for next year's event. The 29th annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care will be held September 28 to October 1, 2014, at the Mirage in Las Vegas, Nevada. Save the date!
2013 Award Winners
* The winner of the 2013 Sharon Baranoski Founder's Award was Caroline E. Fife, MD, CWS, who is professor of medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center; director of Clinical Research, Memorial Hermann Center for Wound Healing, Houston, Texas; and is chief medical officer, Intellicure, Inc, The Woodlands, Texas. Funding for this award was supported by an education grant from Smith & Nephew Wound Management.
* Winner of the 2013 Roberta S. Abruzzese Publishing Award was Julia Paul, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, CWS, NP, for the article, "Characteristics of Chronic Wounds That Itch." Dr Paul is a nurse practitioner in plastic surgery at William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Michigan. This award was sponsored by an educational grant from Advances in Skin & Wound Care.
* Karen M. Zulkowski, DNS, RN, CWS, was the 2013 recipient of the Outstanding Peer Reviewer Award. Dr Zulkowski is an assistant professor at Montana State University-Bozeman. This award was sponsored by an educational grant from Advances in Skin & Wound Care.
* The Eric P. Kindwall Award of Excellence in Clinical Hyperbaric Medicine was presented to Caroline E. Fife, MD, CWS. This award was supported by the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine.
* Edgar Otto received The Kenneth Locklear Visionary Award. This award was supported by the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine.
A total of 125 posters were presented this year. Awards were given for the top posters in each of 3 categories: original investigation, case study/series, and education/system/other. The awards were supported by an educational grant from Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. The 2013 winners are the following:
* Original Investigation: Poster 11: "An Evidence-Based Practice Initiative to Decrease the Incidence of Medical Device re: Pressure Ulcers in Critical Care," by Jane Ellen Barr, MSN, RN, CWON, ANP; Kristin Lang, BSN, RN, CCRN; and Ashley Zarkowski, RN, CCRN, all at Long Island Jewish Medical Center, New Hyde Park, New York.
* Case Study/Series: Poster 66: "Treating MRSA Infected Wounds in a Real-World Setting: Healing Outcomes of Chronic MRSA-Infected, Lower-Extremity Wounds Utilizing a Treatment Protocol That Combines a Wound Dressing Containing Oakin with a Modified De-Escalation Theory," by Gene Graham, DPM, FAPWCA, CMET, DABLES, AACFAS, Columbus Podiatry & Surgery, Inc, Gahanna, Ohio
* Education/System/Other: Poster 81: "Wound Prevention in Population with Developmental Disability," by Milo Lipovac, MD, PhD, Graduate Center/Hunter College-City College of New York, and Stanojka Lipovac, MD, MPT, CWS, Richmond Community Services, Mt Kisco, New York
Symposium photos/courtesy Angela Kujath, Mary Dunbar, Kathleen Greaves.