Documentation

It is important to document your progress. Identifying and assessing your skin and/or wound condition in a timely manner is the key to effective treatment. If you have a pressure ulcer/sore, a four-part classification system (called "Stages") is normally used. This system refers to the severity of the pressure ulcer/sore.

Stage I.
	Skin appears pink, red or in different shades or blotches and won't return to normal pigmentation after pressure is removed or relieved. The skin is still intact, but it feels warm and firm.
Stage II. Skin appears to be blistered, broken, or cracked.
Stage III.
	Wound extends into subcutaneous tissue (fat) that may extend down to, but not through underlying fascia. (fibrous connective tissue that wraps, separates, or binds muscles, organs, and other soft parts of the body).
Stage IV.
	Full-thickness skin lose down to muscle, bone, or support structures. If your wound is caused by something other than pressure, such as poor circulation or surgery, the wound is classified based on the degree of thickness. These terms are called "partial-" or "full-thickness" wounds.

Partial-thickness wounds extend into the second layer of the skin called the "dermis." Full-thickness wounds extend through the second layer into subcutaneous tissue, and possibly muscle and/or bone.

Skin conditions refer to any abnormal finding on the skin surface, such as rashes or bruises.

All of us at Wound Care Strategies wish you much success and good health with your skin or wound care. We will continue to impart our knowledge to provide assistance with skin and wound healing education, and find new and better ways to provide outstanding products and services to better serve you, our neighbors, communities, and the world at large.

Our mission: educating and supporting the skin and wound care industry to provide for the highest quality of life to be sustained for each individual rightly deserving of the best possible skin and wound care.

You may download a Wound/Skin Care Report in .PDF (Adobe Reader) format courtesy of Wound Care Strategies. You may print the directions and the accompanying Wound/Skin Care Report form for your own personal use and your own personal care. This form was created so you can document your skin or wound condition, every day if necessary. This can be a handy reference chart when reviewing your case with your health-care provider.

Download your Wound/Skin Care Report here. If you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download this software for free from Adobe Systems, Inc.

Keep your documentation of the Wound/Skin Care Report for reference. You may want to keep them in a file, and in consecutive order, so you can see how you are doing and notice if any particular patterns develop. And your health care provider may ask for a copy to keep with your records as well.