'Head-banging...'

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Does anyone else have problems between Podiatrists and Nurses?

I am a Podiatrist and also a Nurse, however, when I go into Tissue Viability and Diabetes I am constantly told be Nurses that Podiatrists know nothing about these areas. When I work as a Nurse, some of my collegues tell me that I have to forget ALL my Podiatry as it is not relevant to Nursing! Yet when I work as a Podiatrist, they are happy for me to use my knowledge and skills from Nursing.

Does anyone else have this same problem please?

Many thanks.

 

Hello arena new person.
the position of podiatrists in the field of diabetes and tissue viability is well established. It began when the world woke up to the importance of wound debridement and found that our profession had the necessary scalpel skills. '' Before that the chiropodist would be blamed for causing the wound when debriding ''said Professor L. Klenerman (The foot and its disorders)
members of our profession have on many occasions been published on topics which crossover from podiatry to tissue viability be it on doppler or maggot therapy or on wound dressings. I was published on the subject of maggot therapy in journal of wound care in november 2002. this is arguably a tissue viability topic.

Peter
@squirepetefeet

 

Lab Rat,

there appears to be some ignorance of what a podiatrists can and does do by the nurses you are working with. You can and should educate them. This was a fairly common situation some 20yrs ago, but I thought we had moved on.

You just need to keep plugging away, so that the nurses can appreciate the extra skills you have in providing better patient care.

 

It's not so long ago that I was blamed for opening a 'healed' ulcer when removing the callus over the top to reveal the still present ulcer. Some other health professionals still see chiropodists/podiatrists as glorified pedicurists. It is all our jobs to educate them!

 

l hear this statement from clients also, they too need to be educated on this issue.

 

I find that if we advise there is an ulcer there before we debride and then find one under there, the patient thinks we are very clever.
I tell patients that a wound is not 'healed' until the skin matches the surrounding skin.

Our experience of culture change in a major hospital has found you will never convince everyone that you know what you know. But, if the senior nursing staff know what you do and support you, eventually the majority come around. Note: this has taken about 15 years!

Keep on doing the good work and things will get better.

 

Had the same myself - the team approach, with education and open minds all round, is the way forward.

Incidentally, I've seen some pretty poor (read clinical negligence) examples of podiatry diabetic care up and down the country over the last three years.

 

Nurses do not appear to understand about 'off-loading' and preventative measures in wound care, they just peel off any dressing and remove off-loading felt/foam or whatever and replace it with their own choice dressing. When I inquire why have they done this? they answer that Podiatrists do not understand wound care! Funny that, coz I love wound care and have written research and published papers on it!
I also am constantly reminded that Podiatrists do not understand Diabetes! I try to explain that we all need to work together for the common good of our patients and that we can all learn from each other, but am pulled up time and again with Podiatrists do not understand wounds, wound care or diabetes!
One the nurses in my work advised a patient to use a corn plaster, needless to say I was not amused.

Apart from keeping low and continuing to incorporate podiatry and nursing together, I feel I am fighting a loosing battle. :bang: :bang:
My only saving grace was that I spoke to the lead tissue viability nurses who support me.

Many thanks for all your support.
Claire

 

Hi Claire,

It's not up to nurses to understand offloading, other than they should understand how effective it is, and it's what we as Podiatrists do (read "should do", because we don't all do it).

Personally I think you need to decide which hat you want to wear, and stick to it, but thats just my opinion.
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.