Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Science

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Health Care Sciences – Health Science Department

First Advisor

Moya Alfonso

Date of original Performance / Presentation

January 2024

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1-1-2024

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this dissertation study was to investigate if participation in complete decongestive therapy was associated with lower extremity wound healing. As wound healing is a complex and fragile process, another aim of this study was to explore if patient- or treatment-related factors other than participation in lymphedema therapy played a role in tissue repair. Limited research had been conducted exploring factors associated with the effect of lymphedema therapy on wound closure and it is still unclear if a relationship exists between lymphedema therapy and successful healing of chronic leg ulcers. Quantitative, retrospective, and cross-sectional study design was chosen as an approach to test the hypotheses and answer the research questions. The Five-Level Wound Model was selected as a conceptual model to guide the collection and analysis of data. The archival de-identified data related to demographic factors, medical history, and treatment outcomes were extracted from electronic medical records of patients treated in a wound care center and lymphedema clinic over a period of 3.8 years. The study sample consisted of 115 patients with lymphedema and venous leg ulceration. A hierarchical regression method was employed to investigate the relationship between predictor variables and a response variable. The study was limited by the quality and accuracy of documentation entered into the electronic medical records and a small sample size. Keywords: complete decongestive therapy, lymphedema therapy, compression therapy, wound size, wound volume, wound healing

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

complete decongestive therapy; compression therapy; lymphedema therapy; wound healing; wound size; wound volume

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