CWCA (ABWM) case studies
CWCA · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Certified Wound Care Associate (CWCA) is a credential awarded by the American Board of Wound Management to health care professionals who work as part of a wound care team but are not physicians or advanced practice wound specialists. It signals that the holder has demonstrated a defined body of entry-to-intermediate wound care knowledge: how to assess and document a wound, how to prepare a wound bed and select local treatments, how to recognize and respond to infection risk, how systemic and nutritional factors shape healing, how to teach patients and caregivers, how to prevent pressure injuries and manage lower extremity ulcers, and how to communicate within an interprofessional team. The CWCA case studies are 5 cases and about 4,766 words.
1Sacral Wound With Slough and a 2 cm Tract: Staging and Documentation Under Uncertainty
R is 78, lives with her son, and has advanced dementia. Three weeks ago the home health nurse documented a "Stage 3" pressure injury over the sacrum measuring 4.2 x 3.0 cm.
759 words, about 4 min2Plantar Eschar and a Stable Heel Eschar in a Neuropathic Diabetic Foot: Two Different Debridement Decisions
T is 61 with type 2 diabetes (A1C 9.4%) and peripheral neuropathy; he has never had revascularization. Over the plantar first metatarsal head of the right foot is a 3.0 x 2.5 cm ulcer, 0.4 cm deep, with a thick dry black eschar covering about 60% of the base and a rim of hyperkeratotic callus.
981 words, about 5 min3A Stalled Venous Ulcer: Biofilm Versus Spreading Infection
L is 58 with a 6-month-old venous leg ulcer on the left medial gaiter, 5.0 x 4.0 cm, previously clean granulation tissue with light exudate. Over the past 10 days the wound has developed a thin, friable, reddish film that bleeds when wiped; drainage has increased and is now moderate and serous.
987 words, about 5 min4A Low Albumin, Poor Intake, and a Stage 3 Pressure Injury: Nutrition Judgment in CKD
K is 72, three weeks after hip hemiarthroplasty, now in a skilled nursing facility with a Stage 3 sacral pressure injury measuring 4.0 x 3.0 x 1.5 cm, 50% slough, moderate drainage. He weighs 58 kg; his usual weight two months ago was 66 kg.
1,068 words, about 5 min5Blanchable Sacral Erythema and a Three-Hour Chair Habit: Fixing a Prevention Plan
D is 84 with advanced dementia, ten days after surgery for a hip fracture, now in a skilled nursing facility. She is immobile and incontinent of urine.
971 words, about 5 min