They say, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," but it seems that clinicians attending the 23rd Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care left "Sin City" with plenty to talk about-the hottest topics in wound care, that is. Some 1064 attendees, including faculty members and more than 350 exhibit representatives, converged at the neon-lit Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, to partake in a broad array of exciting educational sessions, poster displays, and approximately 150 total booth exhibits.
This year's opening session keynote address was an encore presentation by Kathleen D. Schaum, MS, RD, who challenged attendees with "Your 2008 Report Card: Will You Pass or Fail This Year's Coding and Coverage Test?" Following up on her address from last year, Ms Schaum provided a comprehensive update of the latest reimbursement and coding changes affecting wound care practitioners. She is president of Kathleen D. Schaum & Associates, Inc, Lake Worth, Florida, and has been author of the "Payment Strategies" column in Advances in Skin & Wound Care for the past 8 years. Attendees at Ms Schaum's informative presentation listened attentively, took notes, and participated in a quiz on this very important topic.
Another rousing keynote address was presented on the first full day of sessions by Keith Harding, MB, ChB, MRCGP, FRCS, who is professor of rehabilitation medicine and head of the Wound Healing Research Unit at Cardiff University, Department of Wound Healing, School of Medicine, Cardiff, Wales. He spoke on the topic, "Twenty Years of Wound Healing: What Has Happened?" Calling on his unique and entertaining presentation style, Professor Harding's mission was to describe the progress made in wound healing, identify best practices in wound healing from a global perspective, and discuss new technologies that have significantly impacted wound healing. His efforts were rewarded with a standing ovation.
Throughout the conference, participants had a broad range of session selections, ranging from "Cybercast Endovascular Intervention: Team Approach to the Patient with Critical Limb Ischemia" to "Malignancies that Masquerade as Ulcers." Among the symposium's many features was the 2-day preconference workshop, "Wound Certification Prep Course," which was endorsed by the American College of Certified Wound Specialists.
Satellite symposia sessions offered participants the opportunity to attend breakfast or dinner lectures. Smith & Nephew Wound Management, Inc, St Petersburg, Florida, sponsored a breakfast session titled, "Bridging Regulations, Quality of Life, and New Advances in Wound Care Technologies: Where Are We Today?" Another breakfast symposium was sponsored by Uluru, Inc, Addison, Texas, on "Altrazeal: Transforming Clinical Wound Management: From Science to Outcomes with an Innovative Powder Dressing." Dinner satellite sessions included "NPWT: A New Perspective," sponsored by Smith & Nephew Wound Management, Inc; and "Maintenance Debridement: Role in Chronic Wounds," sponsored by Healthpoint, Ltd, Fort Worth, Texas.
Many conference-goers had the privilege of seeing how the celebrities lodge in grand style when they attended a special reception hosted by the National Alliance of Wound Care (NAWC) in one of the Rio Hotel's renowned Palazzo Suites. The NAWC, which endorses Advances in Skin & Wound Care, was offering membership information and celebrating its accreditation by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies. The NAWC's Executive Director, Debbie Hecker, RN, MBA, WCC, and several colleagues were on hand to greet guests. Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and tours of the impressive suite highlighted the evening.
When not attending sessions, conference participants visited the numerous poster displays and the expansive exhibit hall, filled with the latest products and devices in wound care. And during the evenings, some hoped to find Lady Luck in the casinos, while others took in a show or dinner at one of the many fine restaurants in Las Vegas.
Alas, all things come to an end, and this year's Clinical Symposium came to a close with a general session on "National Patient Safety Goals for Pressure Ulcers," presented by Courtney H. Lyder, ND, GNP, FAAN, and Karen Zulkowski, DNS, RN, CWS. Dr Lyder is dean and professor at the UCLA School of Nursing, Los Angeles, California. Dr Zulkowski is assistant professor at Montana State University-Bozeman College of Nursing, Billings, Montana.
Finally, symposium organizers wish to acknowledge the financial support or equipment donations received from several companies, including 3M, St Paul, Minnesota; ConvaTec, Skillman, New Jersey; Cytomedix, Inc, Rockville, Maryland; Gaymar Industries, Inc, Orchard Park, New York; Healthpoint, Ltd, Fort Worth, Texas; Hill-Rom, Batesville, Indiana; KCI, San Antonio, Texas; Medline, Mundelein, Illinois; Molnlycke, Norcross, Georgia; and Smith & Nephew, Largo, Florida.
Remember to mark your calendars now for next year's annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin & Wound Care, October 21-25, 2009, at the Grand Hyatt and Convention Center, San Antonio, Texas. We hope to see you there!
2008 Award Winners
* The winner of the 2008 Sharon Baranoski Founder's Award was Evonne Fowler, RN, CNS, CWOCN, Certified Wound Ostomy and Continence Nurse and Clinical Nurse Specialist, San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital, Banning, California. Financial support was provided by an educational grant from Healthpoint, Ltd.
* The winners of the third annual Roberta S. Abruzzese Publishing Award were Morris A. Magnan, PhD, RN, and JoAnn Maklebust, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCN, FAAN, for "Multisite Web-Based Training in Using the Braden Scale to Predict Pressure Sore Risk," published in the March 2008 issue of Advances in Skin & Wound Care. At the time of the article's publication, Dr Magnan was an assistant professor of nursing, School of Nursing, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, and an associate research professor, College of Nursing, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan. Ms Maklebust is a clinical nurse specialist and wound care nurse practitioner, Oncologic Surgery Karmanos Cancer Center, Detroit Medical Center, and an adjunct associate clinical professor, College of Nursing, Wayne State University.
* Nancy A. Stotts, EdD, RN, FAAN, was the winner of the 2008 Peer Reviewer of the Year Award. Dr Stotts is professor of nursing, University of California, San Francisco, School of Nursing, San Francisco, California. Both this award and the publishing award were supported by an educational grant from Gaymar Industries, Inc, Orchard Park, New York.
A total of 160 poster abstracts were submitted this year. Awards for the top 3 poster abstracts were presented on the closing day of the conference. The winners were the following:
* First Place: Poster 32, "Ankle Foot Orthoses in Prevention and Treatment of Heel Pressure Ulcers: A Physical Therapy Perspective," by Sharon Lucich, PT, CWS, and Jaimee Haan, PT, CWS, Clarian Health, Indianapolis, Indiana.
* Second Place: Poster 1, "Some Times Elephants Eat Pizza in Pajamas: A Creative Teaching Program to Enhance Proficiency in Wound Assessment, Documentation, and Treatment," by Amy Schaffner, RN, MS, CWOCN; Barbara Scotten-Peters, RN, WCC; and Kris Schmidt, LPN, Family Home Care and Hospice, Inc, Spokane, Washington.
* Third Place: Poster 138, "The Value of Annual Pressure Ulcer Surveillance," by Laurie Goodman, RN, BA, Credit Valley Hospital, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
The poster awards were sponsored by Molnlycke Health Care.