NUI Galway will hold the Alliance for Research and Innovation in Wounds (ARIW ) Autumn 2018 Seminar Series tomorrow Friday, 19 October. The series, entitled ‘The Burden of, and Opportunities in Chronic Wound Care in 2018’, will take place in Áras Moyola, beginning at 9am.
Wounds, whether they are as a result of a surgical procedure or due to an underlying condition such as diabetes or vascular disease affect up to four per cent of the population. The majority of wounds will heal without incident but for approximately 30 per cent, these wounds can last for weeks and in some cases years. Research studies have shown that having a wound, and in particular a chronic wound such as a leg ulcer, has a huge impact on the lives of those affected. They can cause depression, pain, isolation, and loss of time from work, and often a fear that they will reoccur.
Key speakers
By working with affected members of the public, the ARIW aims to find solutions for these issues.
Key speakers in the seminar include —Professor Julian Guest, visiting professor of health economics at King's College London and principal of Catalyst Consultants, who will discuss ‘The economic impact of chronic wounds; Dr Jan Stryja, Salvatella Ltd, Czech Republic, and European Wound Management Association (EWMA ) Council member, will deliver a talk on ‘Surgical site infections - report from European Wound Management Association; Suzanne Moloney, CEO and Founder of HidraMed Solutions Ltd. will talk about ‘The burden of everyday wound care in hindradenitis suppurativa - the patient perspective'; Dr Ger O'Connor, Head of School of Physics at NUI Galway and CÚRAM funded investigator, will discuss ‘Star gazing - what opportunities lie ahead in wound care devices; and Professor Abhay Pandit, Medical Director of CÚRAM, will deliver the closing address.
The symposium will be followed by an open, round table discussion for people with a chronic wound from 2 -3:30pm, also in Aras Moyola. The open session aims to hear and take record of concerns that are of importance to the person with a wound and in so doing, help shape the type of research that should be conducted.
Dr Georgina Gethin, School of Nursing and Midwifery, NUI Galway, said to date, research into finding interventions to help healing has been decided by scientists, clinicians, industry and academics, each with their own particular area of interest.
"But, the real experts in this area are the people and their families who live with wounds. The time has come for us to address this gap and to listen to, and work with, the public to understand what is really important to them and to know what problems they are having that we need to find solutions for. Ultimately we may be spending millions of Euro developing devices and dressings that do not address the really important issues for the patient," she said.
The Alliance for Research and Innovation in Wounds was borne out of the need to bring together the expertise in research, education and clinical practice that exists in NUI Galway, Saolta and among private healthcare partners into one unit that will strive to further develop and expand wound care in Ireland and internationally.
Attendance is free but delegates must register for the symposium at https://bit.ly/2NvRS7e, and for the open session at https://bit.ly/2Pz56ln.
For more information on the open session please call 089 4899789
