Tissue Viability Society conference preview

Commenting on the subjects that will be covered at the event, Professor Jane Nixon, professor of tissue viability and clinical trials research at the University of Leeds, said: “This annual conference is a celebration of the ongoing success of the Tissue Viability Society in multidisciplinary collaboration and the part it has played in forging developments in tissue viability as an emerging field in research and clinical practice. The scientific programme for the 30th Anniversary Conference includes a strong list of national and international presenters, covering a range of contemporary tissue viability research, policy and practice issues.” Tissue viability is a growing specialty that considers all aspects of skin and soft tissue wounds – including acute surgical wounds, pressure ulcers and all forms of leg ulceration. However, it is more than just wound management and covers a wide range of organisational, political and socio-economic issues which impact upon practice and patient care delivery. The annual conference and exhibition will address all of these issues at the Kettering Conference Centre on 5 and 6 April 2011. The event should be of interest and relevance to all healthcare professionals involved in tissue viability and wound management. The conference programme has been developed by the Tissue Viability Society Trustees to provide delegates with an independent educational event. This year delegates will be able to listen to a variety of speakers from across the UK, Europe and Asia, who will be discussing the latest evidence and developments relating to multi-disciplinary best practice in prevention and wound management. On the first day of the event, Dr Carol Dealey, a past Tissue Viability Society chair and senior research fellow from the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and Professor Sir George Castledine, chief executive at the Institute of Ageing and Health, will be jointly presenting the opening plenary sessions and will set the scene for tissue viability as a developing specialism and the impact of national policy upon practice. Dr Dealey will discuss the tissue viability journey, explaining how the embryonic ideas of the 1980s have, gradually become more mainstream, and how the vision of the Society has today resulted in multidisciplinary collaboration in terms of policy, practice and research. Prof. Castledine will then discuss national policy and its effect on practice. The event then splits into parallel symposiums – one focusses on chronic swelling of the lower limb, including an overview of chronic lower limb swelling and the impact on the viability of tissue. Dr Vaughan Keeley, consultant in palliative medicine at Derby Hospitals NHS Trust, will discuss the cause of cellulitis in lymphoedema, offering a brief description of clinical features and British Lymphology Society and Lymphoedema Support Network (BLS/LSN) treatment guidelines. Kath Vowden, nurse consultant at Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust will then look at other possible causes of a red swollen leg and will discuss the involvement of the multidisciplinary team (MDT) in assessment and treatment. The other morning session will discuss national policy implementation, looking at the MDT team approach to achieving zero tolerance to hospital acquired pressure ulcers in Wales. Dr Susan Baxter, National Tissue Viability programme manager NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, will then discuss the background to pressure ulcer prevention in Scotland, and will discuss patient and carer involvement in pressure ulcer prevention. After lunch there will be further presentations and a free paper session, followed by a final session which will look at case study examples of unrecognised complex wounds.

Day two

Day two of the event will see Professor Andrea Nelson, professor of wound healing at the University of Leeds giving the first national presentation for the Human Tissue Authority (HTA) VenUS III trial, a randomised controlled trial of high frequency, low dose ultrasound for hard to heal venous ulcers; and Prof. Jane Nixon will discuss pressure ulcer prevalence in acute and community populations, concluding with some recommendations for practice. The parallel symposiums on day two will include a discussion about lower leg compression followed by a workshop entitled “Putting wound audit into action.” This will cover project planning and governance; use of audit tools and training of auditors; data collection and inputting; and turning data into information. Dr Richard Shorney, director at Real Healthcare Solutions will then explain how to translate national policy into practice. The other symposium will focus on pain and symptom management with sessions covering pain assessment in wound care practice; the assessment of pain in elderly patients with cognitive impairment; and methods of healing heel ulcers and their podiatric management. The second day will close with keynote plenaries by Professor Dan Bader and Professor Peter Vowden who will discuss the bioengineering contribution to tissue viability and opportunities for tissue viability in the modern NHS. The conference event is also supported by a large exhibition that will showcase the latest developments in tissue viability and wound care. The event also acts as a good networking opportunity for those with an interest in tissue viability.