Factors Influencing Self-Wound Care Adoption in Singaporean Communities: A Cross-Sectional Survey
Purpose: Managing wounds often requires frequent clinic visits, posing a burden on both patients and the healthcare system. Shared wound care, which encourages patients to manage dressings at home, has emerged as a potential solution. This study investigates factors influencing self-wound care adopt...
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Advocate Aurora Health
2024-10-01
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| Series: | Journal of Patient-Centered Research and Reviews |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://institutionalrepository.aah.org/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2084&context=jpcrr |
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| Summary: | Purpose: Managing wounds often requires frequent clinic visits, posing a burden on both patients and the healthcare system. Shared wound care, which encourages patients to manage dressings at home, has emerged as a potential solution. This study investigates factors influencing self-wound care adoption in Singapore.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey involving 328 participants from six primary healthcare centers was conducted. The survey examined demographics, wound characteristics, and perceptions towards shared wound care using a locally validated questionnaire. Parametric tests and logistic regression were used to analyze the data.
Results: Unlike older participants, younger adults valued time saved through self-care and found clinic visits inconvenient. Participants in the younger age group, those in fixed-schedule employment, and students were more likely to opt for the self-wound care program and adopt self-wound care. Strong social support (p = 0.034) and wound location on the head, neck, or face were the most significant factors (p = 0.023) favoring self-care. Interestingly, participants with no formal education were significantly more likely to embrace self-wound care (p = 0.006 to 0.012).
Conclusions: Using individual attributes to select participants for self-wound care adoption may be more effective than relying on educational level. Strong social networks and encouragement from family and community can play a crucial role in promoting self-care practices. However, the generalizability of the findings may be limited, as the study was conducted solely within a Singaporean primary healthcare setting. All the same, while wound care practices may vary across countries, the foundational concepts of wound care are universal in the world. Insights about self-wound care can therefore be valuable and informative on a global scale, not just within Singapore. |
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| ISSN: | 2330-0698 |