LONDON, April 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew (NYSE: SNN; LSE: SN), the global medical technology business, today announces a third annual educational grant to the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN®). Through the restricted educational grant, Smith & Nephew is supporting Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) Nurse Week, April 10-16, honoring the care WOC nurses provide to millions of patients in need of care.
“As a pioneering member of the global wound care community supporting healthcare professionals for more than 150 years, Smith & Nephew understands and values the important, versatile role WOC nurses play in improving outcomes, securing access, reducing costs and ensuring patient satisfaction for those suffering from wounds, ostomies, or urinary and fecal incontinence,” said Patricia Burns, a WOC nurse and now Vice President of Professional Affairs and Education at Smith & Nephew’s U.S. Advanced Wound Management business. “This week we encourage you to celebrate and educate your colleagues about what makes you, as a WOC nurse, special. From all of us at Smith & Nephew, Happy WOC Nurse Week!”
There is an increasing prevalence of chronic wounds of all types that encumbers patients and health care systems with significant personal and financial burdens. This creates increased demand for WOC nurses, especially as payers transition to value-based purchasing, prompting healthcare facilities to carefully implement best practices and employ specialists to prevent and manage patients’ wounds.
“We are so pleased that Smith & Nephew is once again supporting WOC Nurse Week,” said current WOCN Society President, Carolyn Watts, MSN, RN, CWON. “We know it takes special training, skills, dedication and compassion to be a WOC nurse and on behalf of their patients we express our appreciation and thanks.”
A key goal of WOC Nurse Week is increasing awareness of the pivotal role WOC nurses play in providing optimal patient care in multiple healthcare settings. These include acute, outpatient, long-term and home health care. WOC nurses must complete specialized education beyond basic nursing education, including hands-on clinical training and certification.
They share expert clinical skills, help control costs and ensure compliance while working toward improved patient care through positive outcomes, advocacy and the education of patients and families.
To learn more about the vital role of WOC nurses, please visit the WOCN website http://www.wocn.org.
About the WOCN Society
Founded in 1968, the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society is a professional, international nursing society of over 5,000 health care professionals who are experts in the care of patients with wounds, ostomies and incontinence. The Society supports its members by promoting educational, clinical and research opportunities to advance the practice, and guide the delivery of health care to individuals with wounds, ostomies and incontinence. Learn more by visiting www.wocn.org
Connect with the WOCN Society on Facebook at Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society (WOCN), on Twitter at @WOCNSociety and on LinkedIn at Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society.
About Smith & Nephew
Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business dedicated to helping healthcare professionals improve people’s lives. With leadership positions in Orthopaedic Reconstruction, Advanced Wound Management, Sports Medicine and Trauma & Extremities, Smith & Nephew has around 15,000 employees and a presence in more than 100 countries. Annual sales in 2015 were more than $4.6 billion. Smith & Nephew is a member of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN).
For more information about Smith & Nephew, please visit our website www.smith-nephew.com, follow @SmithNephewplc on Twitter or visit SmithNephewplc on Facebook.com.
Forward-looking Statements
This document may contain forward-looking statements that may or may not prove accurate. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins, market trends and our product pipeline are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as “aim”, “plan”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “well-placed”, “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “target”, “consider” and similar expressions are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or implied by the statements. For Smith & Nephew, these factors include: economic and financial conditions in the markets we serve, especially those affecting health care providers, payers and customers; price levels for established and innovative medical devices; developments in medical technology; regulatory approvals, reimbursement decisions or other government actions; product defects or recalls or other problems with quality management systems or failure to comply with related regulations; litigation relating to patent or other claims; legal compliance risks and related investigative, remedial or enforcement actions; disruption to our supply chain or operations or those of our suppliers; competition for qualified personnel; strategic actions, including acquisitions and dispositions, our success in performing due diligence, valuing and integrating acquired businesses; disruption that may result from transactions or other changes we make in our business plans or organisation to adapt to market developments; and numerous other matters that affect us or our markets, including those of a political, economic, business, competitive or reputational nature. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew’s most recent annual report on Form 20-F, for a discussion of certain of these factors. Any forward-looking statement is based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date of the statement. All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to Smith & Nephew are qualified by this caution. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect any change in circumstances or in Smith & Nephew’s expectations.
Trademark of Smith & Nephew. Certain marks registered US Patent and Trademark Office.
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160406/352363LOGO
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131030/CL06769LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/smith--nephew-continues-support-of-wound-care-nurses-300247501.html
SOURCE Smith & Nephew
