Wound Awareness Week

Thursday 23rd July 2026

Q&A

Wound hygiene—simple in theory, yet so often overlooked in practice. Whether it’s time pressure, patient discomfort, fear, or gaps in knowledge, poor wound hygiene remains one of the most persistent challenges in clinical care. That’s exactly why it has been chosen as the powerful, practice-changing theme for this year’s WAW.
While the topic is gaining momentum globally, it’s not new to us. Society alumni Rebecca Aburn has been championing wound hygiene for years, pushing for better standards and better outcomes. Their leadership has helped shape this year’s programme.
We’re thrilled to feature Rebecca Aburn, bringing over 30 years of nursing expertise. She will guide attendees from the essential foundations of wound hygiene right through to advanced clinical application—making this session invaluable for every level of practice.
We are also honoured to welcome Professor Kylie Sandy Hodgetts, a standout speaker from the last NZWCS Conference and the Founder and inaugural President of the International Surgical Wound Complications Advisory Panel. Her internationally recognised research into early identification, prediction, and prevention of surgical wound complications—including the critical role of wound hygiene—promises to deliver cutting-edge insights you won’t want to miss.
Rounding out this exceptional lineup is Sharryn Cook.  Sharryn is a Wound and Stoma Clinical Nurse Specialist with Health NZ Marlborough, bringing extensive experience in wound and stoma care. She is an Area Coordinator and National Committee Member for the New Zealand Wound Care Society (NZWCS). She contributes to national practice standards through her role on the NZWCS Pressure Injury Advisory Group. Passionate about improving patient outcomes, she is committed to advancing evidence-based practice, education, and clinical excellence in wound care.

To get the most from this live Q&A webinar, we encourage you to first view the Wound Hygiene Fundamentals video series that will soon be available on the NZWCS website. These short educational videos have been specially prepared by our expert presenters and provide an overview of the principles and practical application of wound hygiene.

During the webinar, our speakers will answer questions submitted by participants and discuss how wound hygiene can be applied across a wide range of clinical settings and wound types. Whether you work in acute care, primary care, aged residential care, community services, or specialist practice, this session will provide valuable insights to support optimal wound healing outcomes.

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_z5pD0gclT1ugWb8gl5JM1Q