Anna brings significant value to community wound care patients

Nurse practitioners continue to play an important part in the delivery of high-quality care to the community, especially for complex wound and stoma conditions.

Community and Oral Health (COH) Wound Care nurse practitioner Anna Colquhoun is an integral part of a community service which is being used to support complex wound and stoma patients.

“The delivery of safe wound care in the home or community setting is bringing significant value to patient care,” she said.

“As a nurse practitioner, I am able to leverage my skillsets to ensure that people with complex wounds can be cared for safely in the community.

“With the majority of complex wound conditions being cared for in the community the value of evidence-based wound care is significant.”

Anna, who has been working at the COH Wound and Stoma Care Service since 2022, provides clinical care for the prevention, assessment and management of wounds and stomas.

“My role as a nurse practitioner gives me the ability to reduce delays to care,” she said.

“I can assess, diagnose and commence treatment for complex wound and stoma cases – this includes delivering antimicrobial stewardship.

“Each day, I could see three to eight patients depending on where I need to travel or visit.”

Anna sees patients at community-based bedded services for the elderly at Brighton Health Campus and Zillmere Transition Care, or wound clinics across north Brisbane or Moreton Bay.

“I travel to see patients as far as Caboolture and Bribie Island,” she said.

The nurse practitioner implements care plans in consultation with GPs, non-Government organisations and families to support patients at home or in the community setting.

“During the second half of my career I have been able to advance my scope of practice and interest in wound care,” Anna said.

This scope of practice has been built on a solid wound and stoma nursing background across Brisbane and Cairns hospitals.

“It is important to stay current, stay interested and but look at evidence-based care – don’t limit yourself,” she said.

Each year, COH connects tens of thousands of people to community-based health care needed following their hospital stay and is bringing care closer to home.

More than 12,500 people were provided with specialist wound care appointments after hospital surgery at our four COH wound clinics at Chermside, Keperra, Caboolture and North Lakes.

Each day COH operates around 310 sub-acute beds across its Hospital in the Home, rehabilitation, interim and transition care and geriatric services located at Brighton and Zillmere.