Since the completion of my PhD, I have gained an interest in quality and safety generally alongside of my non-clinical roles.

PhD - The impact of exposure time on biophysical parameters of the skin and patient comfort during dressing changes- a descriptive study.

Studies have demonstrated that the local wound conditions of pH, temperature and Trans Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) impact on wound healing. However, there is limited research on the effect of dressing changes on these parameters and the more subjective outcome of patient comfort. In addition, it appears that the time taken to redress a wound (down time) is not considered important in current clinical practice. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to identify how local wound conditions and patient comfort are affected by the time taken to redress a wound.

Successful with two $5000 grants to assist in the purchase of equipment and conduct of the research.

The goal of my PhD was to identify ‘how long is too long’. Do the temperature and moisture changes in the wound environment occur in the first 5 minutes that the initial dressing is removed and then remain the same until the dressing is reapplied or does the wound become drier and colder the longer it is exposed and does this vary with different types of temporary dressings?

My research demonstrated that all wounds were already ‘cold’ on dressing removal, water loss was high, and they were also alkaline. Warm, moist, acidic wounds heal faster – now to ensure this is addressed in clinical practice.