Relationship Between Caregiver Attendance at Wound Clinic Visits and Wound Healing in Patients With Diabetes: A Retrospective Multicenter Evaluation

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Lower extremity wounds in patients with diabetes are significant and burdensome. PURPOSE: To evaluate retrospectively the correlation between lower limb wound outcomes in patients with diabetes and the presence of a caregiver during clinic visits. METHODS: The study was conducted in 3 outpatient wound centers in North Carolina. Patients (N = 85) were categorized into 2 groups: those who were accompanied by a caregiver at 50% or more of their visits to the wound clinic (n = 30) and those accompanied by a caregiver at fewer than 50% of their visits (n = 55). Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics and 2 sample t-tests. RESULTS: Although significant findings between the 2 groups were seen in age, race, Visit Count, Weeks in Service, Accompanied Count, and percentage of visits accompanied, the strongest meaningful correlation was in the Accompanied group between Percent Accompanied and Visit Count. In this group, the number of accompanied visits was 7.47 (range [standard deviation], 1–23 [5.2]) and the percentage was 87% (range [standard deviation], 52–100 [15]). This was stastically significant and with a moderately negative correlation (P = .04; r = -0.38). CONCLUSION: Despite negative predictors of healing, those who were accompanied by a caregiver at 50% or more of their visits demonstrated a higher healing rate and a lower number of total visits than those who were accompanied by a caregiver at fewer than 50% of their visits.