Wound nurse is lauded for her research

By Nancy Deutsch
Paula Pattison, RN, is proud to have put nursing on the map by becoming a rare nurse specialist
in the area of wound, ostomy and continence care. By publishing research, she has made rare
inroads into a physician-dominated area, and although she has a bachelor’s degree, she recently
received an award that recognized her work among peers whose education levels far surpass her
own.

The director of the Caritas Holy Family Wound, Ostomy, Continence Clinic in Methuen,
Massachusetts, was honored with the 2006 award for Outstanding Nurse of the Year by the New
England Region of the Wound, Ostomy & Continence Nurses Society last fall.
“I was nominated by my peers, which is very humbling,” Pattison said. “It’s given me power to
say to nurses that if you want to do this, you can. It doesn’t matter your age or where you are”
but you can be published and recognized for outstanding work, she said. “That’s a nice, powerful
thing to say.

“I’m a very young 59,” Pattison noted, adding that she hopes to publish again in the future.
Pattison’s research came about after she cared for a particularly special patient, Dr. Donald Ross,
chief of the hospital’s department of pathology, whose right leg was amputated below the knee
three years ago in a motorcycle accident.

Pattison wanted Ross to be back on his feet again, albeit using a prosthetic, as soon as possible
after the accident, so she attempted to use pressure wound therapy along with a silicone gel liner
when treating him.

“They always said you can’t do the two together and we proved them wrong. We created a new
standard here.”

Using both modalities in tandem means the wound heals 30 to 60 days faster than it would
otherwise, she said.

Pattison published her work on the novel combination in the journal Wounds in 2005. Patients
who stand to benefit most from this therapeutic combination are those with polytrauma, which is
fortunately relatively uncommon in North America, she noted. It will be most useful for those
who have suffered traumatic wounds from war and natural disasters, Pattison said. Her method is
now being use to treat soldiers, she explained, of which there are more than 300 with polytrauma
as of December.

“That made this article noteworthy.”

Pattison has worked in ostomy and wound care since working in gastroenterology at the
Cleveland Clinic in 1969. At the time, Pattison wanted to become specialized but could not be
certified unless she had an ostomy or was married to a man who had one. The rules eventually
changed, and she finally became legally certified in 1992.

During a typical day at the 271-bed Carritas Clinic that Pattison founded in 1999, she and
another nurse will usually see about 15 vascular patients for evaluation. About two-thirds of her
patients are in wheelchairs and many are extremely obese, she said. She frequently counsels
patients to consider bariatric surgery.

She will note bad wounds that are not healing and may do punch biopsies, and is likely to
encounter at least one patient a day who suffers bed sores. Her patients will range from newborns
to 90 year-olds, and the length of time the patient has had the wound will vary, but she has dealt
with wounds that are 26 years old, she said. The patients come from nursing homes,
rehabilitation, other clinics and hospitals as “there are not that many certified” in ostomy,
continence and wound care, Pattison said. “I get referrals from at least 50 hospitals.”

Obtaining certification when she did required attending a program that was about a year-long and
getting 200 hours of experience, Pattison said. Obtaining her own certification was somewhat
streamlined because “I had a wealth of experience. I had a foothold ahead of the rest.”
Certification today requires a bachelor’s degree and two years of experience, Pattison added.
Ostomy, wound and continence nursing may not be for all, but it suits Pattison fine. She said she
has just the personality for it.

“It’s a lot of fun. You have to have a good sense of black humor.”

Her publication days are not over, she adds. “I want to write another article on skin hydration.
That’s my next venture. It sounds simple, but we need to lubricate and protect it. That’s the crust
of the whole thing.”

For now, Pattison is enjoying the plaque she received, which hangs in her office but will be
moved to a more central spot if her dream of expanding the clinic comes to fruition.
“The important part of the award is the power to nurses,” Pattison reiterated.