For Immediate Release
Indiana Pressure Ulcer Quality Improvement Initiative Selects Medline's Wound Care Handbook as Standard Resource Guide
Medline donates handbook to help standardize information and education for pressure ulcers
Tuesday, April 14, 2009 —
The Indiana Pressure Ulcer Quality Improvement Initiative announced today that they have selected Medline Industries, Inc.'s Wound Care Handbook as a resource guide for information and treatment regarding pressure ulcers and wounds. The comprehensive guide provides information on the basics of wound care and how various treatments are applied by practitioners in the field. Medline will donate more than 200 copies of the manual, enough for each healthcare facility (including hospitals, nursing homes and home care agencies) participating in the collaborative, over the next two weeks at regional learning sessions held throughout the state.
Spearheaded by the Indiana State Department of Health and the University of Indianapolis Center for Aging and Community (CAC), the initiative is a collaboration of healthcare organizations across the spectrum of care in developing a program of education, training and technical assistance to reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers in healthcare settings across the state of Indiana. According to Dea Kent, one of the clinical faculty members for the Indiana Pressure Ulcer Quality Improvement Initiative, Medline's wound care resource book was chosen because there was a need to standardize the information and educational tools distributed and taught to the facilities.
"Not every facility has a wound care expert," said Kent. "The Wound Care Handbook contains all the basic information on the skin and treating pressure ulcers and explains it in an easy-to-understand format that any clinician can follow."
Pressure ulcers are a significant problem across all healthcare settings in every state. Annually, 2.5 million patients are treated in acute-care facilities alone for pressure ulcers. In 2006, there were 503,300 total hospital stays with pressure ulcers noted as a diagnosis—an increase of nearly 80 percent since 1993. Adult stays totaled $11 billion in hospital costs.1
References
1Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. HCUP Statistical Brief #64. December 2008. Available at: http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb64.pdf Accessed April 14, 2009.
About Medline
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 800 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services.
Over the past five years, Medline has been the fastest growing distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the U.S., serving as the primary distributor to over 250 major hospitals and health care systems. As a leading distributor, Medline offers a comprehensive array of consulting and management services encompassing the supply chain and logistics, utilization and standardization, business tools and enhanced reporting capabilities, and on-staff clinicians.
Medline has a growing network of 34 distribution centers around the country, as well as an expanding, dedicated transportation fleet with over 160 vehicles in a variety of sizes to fit customers' specific delivery needs. The fleet is equipped with the latest navigation devices for enhanced order tracking and communication.