Sara Guilbeault, LPN, is the Assistant Director of Nursing at Aberjona Nursing Center in Winchester, MA. She has seen first hand the benefits of having Dr. Novikov Wellness and Skin Care provide wound care to patients at their bedside.
“Everyone benefits from it,” she said. “The patients don’t need to go out to appointments constantly.”
She noted that there is a state transportation issue. This makes it difficult for the facility to arrange dependable transportation for patients for outside doctor appointments.
Sara said that the patients enjoy the bedside visit and care and embrace the PA’s point of view and advice.
Onsite wound care not only benefits the patients, but also the nursing staff.
“The PAs are very inviting and work collaboratively with you as a team.” Sara said. “Everyone is on the same wavelength. The patient is getting the best care possible.”
A key point in that care is consistency as well as strong communication.
Since January 2023, Dr. Novikov Wellness and Skin Care providers have had a dedicated day each week to see patients at the facility. Something previous wound care services could not commit to.
“This is more consistent and we see wounds heal that have been on patients for a long time,” said Sara. “We definitely have seen improvement on wounds of our rehab patients to get them healed before they are discharged to go home.”
The nursing staff also looks forward to the weekly visits.
Nurses receive clarification from the PA on the type and stage of a patient’s wound, and the wound measurements. Additionally, this helps with documentation.
Sara feels she is more active with her wound patients and has a better eye for any wound changes.
“It’s another set of eyes to give a perspective on the patient’s wound,” she said.