While it is important for nurses to detect early wound complications, treatment plans based on wound assessments need to be informed by current clinical guidelines. In implementing the guideline, it is essential to first identify barriers and facilitators to knowledge transfer.

These findings offer a better understanding of the processes used by health professionals' in their decision-making in wound care. Such an understanding may inform the development of evidence-based interventions that lead to better patient outcomes.

For referencing Deakin J et al. An education intervention care bundle to improve hospitalised patients' pressure injury prevention knowledge: a before and after study.

These results suggest that postoperative wound care practices are not consistent with evidence-based guidelines. Consequently, it is important to involve clinicians in identifying possible challenges within the clinical environment that may curtail guideline use.

Aims and objectives Describe and compare current surgical wound care practices across two hospitals in two health services districts, Australia. Background Surgical site infections (SSI) are a complication of surgery and occur in up to 9.5% of surgical procedures, yet they are preventable. Despite the existence of clinical guidelines for SSI prevention, there remains high variation in wound care practice. Design Prospective comparative design using structured observations and chart audit. Methods A specifically developed audit tool was used to collect data on observed wound care practices, documentation of wound assessment and practice, and patients’ clinical characteristics from patients’ electronic medical records. Structured observations of a consecutive sample of surgical patients receiving wound care with a convenience sample of nurses were undertaken. The manuscript adheres to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement. Results In total, 154 nurses undertaking acute wound care and 257 surgical patients who received wound care were observed. Across hospitals, hand hygiene adherence after dressing change was lowest (Hospital A: 8/113, 7%; Hospital B: 16/144, 11%; χ2: 8.93, p = .347). Most wound dressing practices were similar across sites, except hand hygiene prior to dressing change (Hospital A: 107/113, 95%; Hospital B: 131/144, 91%; (χ2: 7.736, p = .021) and use of clean gloves using nontouch technique (Hospital A: 88/113, 78%; Hospital B: 90/144, 63%; χ2: 8.313, p = .016). The most commonly documented wound characteristic was wound type (Hospital A: 43/113, 38%; Hospital B: 70/144, 49%). What nurses documented differed significantly across sites (p < .05). Conclusions Clinical variations in wound care practice are likely influenced by clinical context. Relevance to clinical practice Using an evidence‐based approach to surgical wound management will help reduce patients’ risk of wound‐related complications.