Is it really just a small world?

Chief Executive Officer Ben Allen I t is always a privilege and emotional experience to work in a profession taking care of somebody who needs your help and expertise. Sometimes you can’t talk to people about it, as it is such a personal journey, especially in today’s complex paediatrics medical/surgical environment. The 6th International Society of Pediatric Wound Care (ISPeW) Annual Conference continues to portray the paediatric wound care vision in a universal land, where small and sometimes invisible patients are often neglected, even though blanketed with skin lesions, ulcers, injuries, damages and tears. ISPeW came into the world to lead and support all countries, foundations, charities, scientists and caregivers in an effort to prevent, assess and manage wounds in children, as innovative perspectives in paediatric wound care education, research and daily practice are being vehemently pursued. But who exactly are paediatric patients? This simple question is the philosophical essence for the whole pool of paediatric investigators engaging in cultural activities, creative scientific endeavour and empathetic approaches to the paediatric planet. Children are not small adults but consist of extremely low or low birth weight, prematures or micro preemies or newborns, infants, toddlers, teens and adolescents... this means a lot of different patients, because paediatric ages differ from each other even if included in one group: children. They all have to be considered according to the different anatomical patterns leading to deep and severe wounds, which require aggressive prevention, innovative studies on biomechanics and translational research taking scientific reports from the laboratory to the child’s bedside. The ISPeW mission is to fight for something you believe in: save the children, care for the skin and support tissues, prevent injuries and let our babies grow without pain. We strongly support children with disabilities and promoting children’s health-related quality of life. Sometimes a different approach is required, paediatric palliative wound care needs supporters rather than healers. We are learning, listening, loving, changing day-by-day because science and technology are changing and shaped by different experiences and professionals. Effective multidisciplinary teamwork (MDT) is an essential component for the delivery of high-quality patient care in an increasingly complex medical environment. The relationship between teamwork and performance outcomes has been documented extensively. Innovation in paediatric wound healing requires a team-based interprofessional approach for comprehensive assessment, prevention, diagnosis and management of pressure ulcers. The two most important questions are ‘How many wounds did you manage’ and ‘How many professional figures do we know and are allied to’? Our goal is to provide clear and concrete answers to these questions to safeguard the rights and dignity of the babies, with the vision of creating programmes that will support families holistically. Not just a wound, but a wounded child. A common language is advocated because the complexity of the team in paediatric wound care has greatly increased over the past 50 years, including all allied health professionals, who share a team identity and work closely together in an integrated and interdependent manner. ISPeW definitely trusts in a No Wounds-Hospital! JWC Is it really just a small world?