Relias now Offers Wound Care Education Institute® (WCEI®) Online Wound Care Curriculum as Part of the Relias Family of Solutions

Course content designed to help clinicians identify, prevent, treat and document clinically sound wound care, as well as prepare for wound care certification

MORRISVILLE, NC, July 30, 2019 – Relias, a trusted partner to more than 10,000 healthcare organizations around the world, today announced the addition of online wound care curriculum and certification exam prep education from the Wound Care Education Institute (WCEI), originally co-founded by registered nurses, Nancy Morgan and Donna Sardina. The training is designed for a multidisciplinary team including nurses, therapists, registered dieticians and physicians. The new Advanced Skin Wound and Ostomy library is now available in the Relias learning management system and offers 16 core wound care courses for the multi-discipline team. Additionally, the Skin and Wound Management certification course is available via PrepSmart, Relias’ exam prep platform that offers learners daily study reminders and exam tools like flashcards, practice questions and full-length simulation practice test.

Bertelsmann, the parent company of Relias, acquired OnCourse Learning in late 2018, which included healthcare, real estate, and financial services divisions. The WCEI was part of the healthcare division that became part of Relias.

“By bringing the expertise of the Wound Care Education Institute and Relias together, healthcare organizations and their clinicians will be better prepared to heal patients and mitigate risk,” said Nancy Morgan, Co-founder of WCEI. “With their reach across the continuum of care, we’ve found an ideal home as part of the Relias family.”

A recent study conducted by the Ohio Healthcare Association and the Ohio Department of Medicaid found that Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) performing in the bottom 25 percent with regards to pressure injury rates at baseline saw a four percent drop after their nurses participated in a five-day wound certification course and subsequent WCC certification exam. Prevention efforts include assessing risk factors, examining skin and tissue, proactively providing protective skin care, and assessing nutrition status.

Each year, over 2.5 million individuals develop pressure injuries, resulting in 60,000 deaths. The cost associated with pressure injuries, including reimbursement penalties and uncompensated care, are upwards of $11.6 billion annually. This does not include other ancillary costs such as lawsuits, decline in professional reputation or even difficulty in obtaining insurance.

Long term acute care (LTAC) and long-term care settings can see pressure injury wound rates as high as nearly 30% of patients. Home health fares a bit better, but still treat chronic wounds at a rate of up to 17% of their clients.

“As the statistics show, pressure wounds are a serious issue, both in terms of patient safety as well as the cost to organizations,” said Mike Mutka, Chief Product Officer at Relias. “The WCEI curriculum and certification exam prep courses exemplify our commitment to helping Relias clients address critical issues within healthcare.”

PrepSmart’s Advanced Wound Care Education System

The online Skin and Wound Management certification course is narrated by a WCC^® certified instructor and allows you the flexibility to advance your education without disrupting your personal or work life. Recently updated, the course now uses the PrepSmart by Relias interactive learning technology, which prepares you for the wound care certification examination with study tools that create a learning path specific to the user.

With the PrepSmart platform, healthcare professionals can:

• Learn at their own pace with a 180-day access period.
• Take lessons that keep them engaged and increase material retention.
• Customize a study plan that sets daily goals that change based on individual retention.
• Get real-time readiness data that tracks progress and identifies strengths and weaknesses.
• Test individual knowledge with helpful practice questions.
• Use study-support tools like learning games and clever digital flashcards to quickly review concepts.
• Take full-length, timed practice exams that simulate test day and gauge readiness.
• Study on the go with a mobile-friendly format.
• Eliminate travel time and expense to attend onsite classes.

More information can be found on our dedicated page on wound care. In addition, Relias hosted a recent webinar on wound care, hosted by Nancy Morgan.