Dr. Windy Cole, DPM, CWSP KSUCPM class of ’99 and faculty member, recently spent a week at Klinik Inocare in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia training clinicians in wound management to expand the support for the community. Low regional healing rates abound in Malaysia due to the absence of standardized treatment regimens and a paucity of trained clinicians specializing in advanced wound care.
Klinik Inocare was founded by NATROX Wound Care in Malaysia to help mitigate the high rate of chronic wounds, low regional healing rates and high percentage of leg amputations. Malaysia has the highest rate of diabetes in the Western Pacific region and one of the highest in the world.1 The prevalence of diabetes rose from 11.2% in 2011 to 18.3% in 2019, a 68.3% increase.1 According to a national survey report, in Malaysia in 2019, 3.6 million adults (18 and older) had diabetes, 49% (3.7 million) cases were undiagnosed.1 The increasing trend is due to a variety of causes, including population expansion, population ageing, urbanization, and rising rates of obesity and physical inactivity.1
Additionally, the lack of availability of advanced diagnostic modalities, and limited access to effective evidence-based wound care products are confounding variables. Through training partnerships with Key Opinion Leaders in wound management such as Dr. Cole, Klinik Inocare is establishing a blueprint for wound care clinics with the following goals in mind:
- Standardize the care protocols for hard to heal wounds.
- Improve the healing rates of hard to heal wounds in this region.
- Provide wound management education and guidance to local clinicians.
- Make advanced wound care diagnostic devices available.
- Support evidence-based treatment and prevention strategies to an at-risk patient population using an innovative technology platform.
This was not the only trip Dr. Cole has planned to Malaysia. She will be returning in October to present at the D-Foot International Global Wound Care Conference in Kuala Lumpur. Dr. Cole also serves as the Global Medical Affairs Director of NATROX Wound Care.
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