Captain Scab set down her boot at the ragged edge of Healing Hollow, where a brave little explorer—named Wound—had just arrived after a sudden fall. The land smelled of iron and dust. "We must map this place," whispered Scout Platelet, a tiny scout in a bright coat, who hurried to the wreck to call the first responders.
First Responders: The Platelet Patrol
Scout Platelet blew a tiny horn and more Platelet Patrols swarmed in, plugging gaps and tying flags across the torn path. They formed a sticky bridge to stop the river of red from flowing. "This will buy us time," Platelet said, pressing down a soft tarp to keep the landscape steady.
Setting Up Camp: Inflammation Station
Soon the town bell rang and Inflammation Station opened. Red-Shirted Macrophage and Neutro the Messenger arrived, clearing debris and sending signals to neighboring valleys. They lit bonfires to chase away invaders—tiny bacteria who sometimes try to claim new land. The fires cause heat and swelling, but they are careful: the smoke is part of the clean-up, not the end of the town.
Building the Scaffold: The Granulation Guild
After the cleanup, the Granulation Guild arrived—a bustling crew of fibroblasts and new blood vessels. Fibro the Weaver spun collagen threads, weaving a pink carpet of strong fibers over the gap. Tiny builders called angioblasts tunneled new streams (capillaries) to bring fresh supplies. The ground grew bumpy and rosy as the guild worked: this was new tissue growing up from the base.
Paving the Path: Re-epithelialization Road
Explorer Epithelium led a parade of skin cells marching from the edges inward. They spread flat flags and smoothed the new carpet until the surface looked whole again. Their march is careful and steady; they patch the surface so the town can once more keep out invaders.
Remodeling: The Restoration Council
Weeks later, the Restoration Council met. Collagen threads were rearranged and tightened; the town remodeled its streets for strength rather than quickness. Scarstone replaced the bumpy new build with a tidy seam—stronger but a bit different in color and texture than the old landscape. Over time, the seam faded, becoming a quiet line that told the tale of the explorer's journey.
A Final Note for Consideration
Not every expedition goes the same way—some lands need more help if invaders are many, if supplies are scarce, or if the explorers are old and tired.
But in most voyages, the Platelet Patrol, Inflammation Station, Granulation Guild, Re-epithelialization Road, and Restoration Council work together so the land of the cut becomes whole again.
D – Debridement (Devitalized Tissue): Dead, black, or yellow tissue (slough and eschar) must be removed because it blocks healing and breeds bacteria. Treatment includes surgical removal, specialized gels, or dressings that help the body naturally dissolve the dead tissue
I – Infection or Inflammation: Chronic wounds often get stuck in an inflammatory phase or develop a bacterial biofilm. Clinicians look for redness, swelling, heat, or foul odors and manage this using antimicrobial dressings (like silver) or antibiotics
M – Moisture Balance: A wound that is too dry will crack and stall; a wound that is too wet will macerate (prune and break down) the surrounding healthy skin. The goal is to keep the wound bed moist using hydrogels for dry wounds or highly absorbent dressings (like alginates) for wet, draining wounds.
E – Edge of the Wound: For a wound to close, the skin cells at the edges must be able to migrate across the wound bed. If the edges are rolled, calloused, or detached, they may need to be chemically or surgically texturized to jumpstart healing
Source/credit:The DIME wound-bed preparation framework is associated with the work of R. Gary Sibbald, Kevin Woo, and Elizabeth Ayello and is described in their wound-bed preparation literature, including Wound Bed Preparation: DIM Before DIME (2008).
The "TIME" Acronym for Assessment:
T – Tissue (Non-viable or Deficient)
What you see: The wound bed contains dead, non-viable tissue like yellow slough or black, hard eschar. This dead tissue acts as a physical barrier and a breeding ground for bacteria.
The Clinical Goal: Clean the wound bed to promote healthy, beefy red granulation tissue.
Action:Debridement (removing the dead tissue). This can be done via sharp/surgical removal, autolytic debridement (using hydrogels to let the body break it down naturally), or enzymatic ointments.
I – Infection or Inflammation
What you see: The wound shows signs of local infection. Look for increased redness (erythema), localized heat, swelling, foul odor, unexpected pain, or a sudden halt in healing.
The Clinical Goal: Reduce the bacterial load and calm chronic inflammation.
Action: Use antimicrobial dressings (such as those infused with silver, cadexomer iodine, or honey) and ensure meticulous cleansing. If a systemic infection is suspected, the patient will need oral or IV antibiotics.
M – Moisture Imbalance
What you see: The wound is either bone-dry (stalling cell growth) or overly wet with excessive drainage, causing the surrounding skin to become white, wrinkled, and water-logged (maceration).
The Clinical Goal: Achieve a perfectly moist environment—think of it like a wrung-out sponge (not too dry, not too wet).
Action:
If too dry: Add moisture using hydrogels or transparent films.
If too wet: Absorb fluid using alginates, hydrofibers, or foam dressings.
E – Edge of Wound (Non-advancing or Epidermal)
What you see: The wound edges are stalled, thick, or rolled under (epibole). When edges roll under, the skin cells think the wound is closed and stop migrating across the wound bed to heal it.
The Clinical Goal: Re-vibrating the wound edges so skin cells can successfully migrate and close the wound.
Action: Consider advanced therapies like negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT/wound vacs), collagen dressings, or biological skin substitutes. In some cases, a clinician may need to gently scrape or chemically cauterize a rolled edge to restart the healing process.
Source/credit: The TIME wound-bed preparation framework was developed by an international group of wound-healing experts and published by Schultz et al. in 2003 in Wound Repair and Regeneration.
The "DIRE" Mnemonic for Wounds:
Document: Map out the precise length, width, and depth in centimeters.
Inspect: Identify the tissue type (beefy red granulation, stringy yellow slough, or dry black eschar).
Rate Exudate: Note whether drainage is clear (serous), bloody (sanguineous), or infected (purulent).
Edges: Check for maceration (water-logged white skin) or epibole (rolled edges that stop healing).
For this patient visit, I shared participation 50/50 with my preceptor. A 7-year-old female patient was accompanied by mother and brother for annual well-child exam. Patient scored a 28 on the Pediatric Symptom Checklist for Child 6-16, which is a positive score (greater than 27). The True-tone Hearing screening test was performed and passed. The vision wall chart was attempted, and patient is currently established with an eye doctor and has an appointment scheduled in one week.
She has a past medical history of autism spectrum disorder (diagnosed 3.5 years ago), specific developmental disorder of motor function, mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, and today was diagnosed with hypertrophy of tonsils with hypertrophy of adenoids. Mom reported some muffled voice concerns, loud breathing when sleeping, discipline issues at home, and concerns that child struggles with anger/emotional regulation with siblings. The exam findings revealed normal vital signs, 2+ tonsils without erythema or exudate and no other significant findings. There is a family history of tonsillar enlargement.
A release of information was signed by parent, in order to obtain diagnostic records for autism disorder for the clinic records, as school is wanting the diagnosis records to formulate the IEP or interventional education plan. I also requested in-house behavioral health counselor to visit with parent regarding emotional regulation concerns. A referral was made to the local otolaryngologist for possible tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy procedures, because of the adenotonsillar hypertrophy, muffled voice, and obstructive concerns. These issues are causing problems for sleep, which may in turn be increasing behavioral problems. According to Nationwide Children’s (n.d.), “School-aged children who do not get enough sleep are more likely to have behavior problems” (para. 4).
Upon review of her immunization record, it is notable that she is behind on all vaccinations, so the following were recommended to begin the catch-up schedule: Tdap, Hep A, Hep B, MMR, varicella, and inactive poliovirus (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices [ACIP], n.d.). The immunizations were not carried out during this visit because of caregiver refusal, as the parent does not consent to immunizations at this time. I discussed the importance of immunization per ACIP schedule, as well as recommendations through Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatricians (AAP). Discussed concerns with risk of delaying immunization, including risk for child death due to vaccine preventable disease. Parental vaccine refusal form completed.
A reason for refusal is not needed for the medical record, unless there is a medical indication for not receiving the vaccinations. Why? Because regardless of the non-medical reason, the child is missing out on multiple opportunities to be protected from serious illnesses that could result in permanent disability or death. It does not matter why, because the result does not change. Public school is typically the system that requires a reason, and acceptable exemptions vary by state.
In Kansas, there is a form for medical exemption only. If parent/guardian is refusing vaccinations based on the child being “...an adherent of a religious denomination whose religious teachings are opposed to such tests or inoculations...” then they must provide a statement written and signed by one parent or guardian (Kansas Department of Health and Environment [KDHE], 2019, p. 1). I do not know of denominations that have such oppositions, honestly. I am still searching though!
Side note: Despite APRN now having authority to practice independently in Kansas, the medical exemption form (and several other state forms) still requires a physician’s signature, and specifically indicates MD or DO under the signature line!
The visit note in the medical record for this patient reflected the following results:
Hep B ped/adol (Not administered - Refused: Parental decision).
Again, the reason for refusal is not appropriate for the medical record unless it is a medical reason, which is uncommon. Some instances of medical exemption may include an allergy to some immunization components, having an immune deficiency, or having an illness such as cancer.
In Missouri, they do not mince words when describing the unexpected consequences that may befall the unvaccinated child and family.
“To protect those who cannot be vaccinated and the entire community, unimmunized children could be excluded from school and child care during disease outbreaks. Exclusion from care can cause a hardship for the child and parent, however no exceptions are made, regardless of the circumstances” (Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services [MDHSS], 2022, para. 3).
Thoughts and Feelings
This is a tough one for me. I spent four months as a contractor with the CDC (through Maximus) developing scripted responses and training materials with an aim to resolve vaccination hesitancy. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and gained great insight into those reluctant to trust governmental agencies with their health. Primarily these were folks that fall into the minority classification, and possibly with a lower health literacy level, yet with valid reasons for mistrust and even resistance. Just do an internet search on the Tuskegee study, the forced hysterectomies/mass sterilization of Native American women, and the use of Henrietta Lacks "immortal cells," just to name a few... among many other examples of abuse and deceit, which both vindicates and explains their level of mistrust.
Anyway, those are hesitancy or refusal issues I can understand – sort of – but I am having a very difficult time maintaining rational discernment and unbiased perception when it comes to the recent years’ exemptions in the name of religion.
It’s not that I am unable to get on board in support of those religious freedoms and choices, but more so that I question the robust increase in religious exemptions over the past several years.
I question whether or not they are truly grounded in religious doctrine or if they are simply politically driven.
I am forever bothered after learning that “...religious objection is often used by parents as an excuse to avoid the vaccination of their children...” rather than it being a real exception for vaccination (Pelcic, et al., 2016, para. 4).
Evaluation of Strengths and Challenges
The challenge for me is of course not opening my mouth to challenge the parent/guardian belief system or decision. And more challenges: to educate and not persuade, to inform and not antagonize, to support and enlighten rather than judge and disparage. And finally, there is a challenge to not go home at the end of the day feeling defeated, because every well child checkup resulted in a parent’s refusal to vaccinate.
The strengths are that I succeed in most of the above-listed dichotomies. At least for now, I keep my mouth shut. I educate, inform, and enlighten. I don’t support the decision or choice, but I do support the fact that they get to make a decision or that they get to choose. Unfortunately, on more than one occasion I did go home at the end of the day fully defeated, because every well child checkup resulted in the parent’s refusal to vaccinate. But my strength is wearing thin, and I feel myself slipping. I feel myself slipping into judgment and irritability because my expectations are apparently too high to be met. But why should I lower my standards?
Analysis and Self Reflection
Well in true analytical fashion, I recognize that I am powerless over another’s choice, and that it is unethical for me to attempt to persuade a patient or their guardian/parent into a choice they don't want. Although my wily guiles are capable of persuasion in the most challenging circumstances, I recognize that as the medical provider I must remain unbiased (as much as possible) and objective. It is so hard to sit back and watch what is happening, inevitably, to our herd immunity status.
I think the scariest, most upsetting part for me, is that I catch myself being inched closer and closer to secretly make an “instawish” that the kid catches some preventable disease and suffers - just to “teach the parent a lesson.” THIS IS NOT WHO I AM OR WHO I WANT TO BE.
As if it is my job to "scold" and mother the patient or family. When I think about being turned into that person, I feel sick to my stomach, and am thankfully reminded that I will do whatever I can to never become that person.
I actually don’t even like movies where we are rooting for a protagonist that started off the movie by breaking the law or something, because the movie implicates excuses and triggers understanding as to reasons behind their unlawful or unethical behavior. I get caught up in it and then realize I have been rooting for a bad guy the whole time - and the movie tricked us all.
