Business Masters module for wound care clinicians up for award

Masters Business and planning skills module now shortlisted at the 2020 World Union of Wound Healing Societies Awards

THE over-prescription of antibiotics threatens to diminish their effectiveness and lead to the rise of superbugs.  It is a major issue for global healthcare.  

Now, two University of Huddersfield professors will travel to the Gulf to conduct an international seminar designed to show how the use of antibiotics and anti-microbial wound dressings can safely be reduced.

One of the professors is Karen Ousey, who is Director of the University’s Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention.  During her visit to Abu Dhabi – to conduct the seminar with Head of Pharmacy Professor Barbara Conway – she will attend a ceremony at which she has been shortlisted for an international award.

The occasion is the 2020 Journal of Wound Care World Union of Wound Healing Societies Awards.  Professor Ousey is a finalist in the Contribution to Education in Wound Care category.  The shortlisting recognises a highly-innovative Master’s degree established at the University of Huddersfield, which aims to ensure that senior clinicians who run wound care facilities have the business and planning skills they need to do so successfully.

“They get asked to develop a service and then they don’t know what to do,” said Professor Ousey, “so we have developed a 30-credit master’s module to fill that gap.”

The course is the only one of its type in the UK and has earned the backing of leading company Urgo Medical, who will provide full bursaries to a number of students.

Safe use of antibiotics

During the visit to Abu Dhabi for the World Union of Wound Healing Societies awards, Professor Ousey and Professor Conway will also conduct a 90-minute seminar on the appropriate and safe use of antibiotics and anti-microbial wound dressings.

“It is about raising awareness that you don’t always need antibiotics and you don’t always need a silver wound dressing.  If your wound is not infected then it doesn’t need an anti-microbial,” explained Professor Ousey, adding that although GPs were now much better informed on the issue, the general public still expected to be prescribed antibiotics for a wide range of conditions.

Health organisations across the world are trying to reduce the use of antibiotics and the NHS has conducted an awareness campaign.  At the University of Huddersfield, Professor Ousey and Professor Conway have developed educational programmes on the issue and aim to conduct further research.

The Abu Dhabi seminar will be conducted in association with the International Wound Infection Institute, which is chaired by Professor Ousey.