Promoting an inclusive approach to assessing and managing chronic wounds

Abstract

The aim of this article is to enable nurses who are responsible for managing chronic wounds to apply knowledge of the wound healing process to the assessment and decisions made about wound care. The article explores the contribution of the nurse, the multidisciplinary team, patients, and informal carers in the promotion of self-management of wounds. After reading this article and completion of the time out activities, you should be able to: Apply knowledge of the wound healing process to the assessment of wounds  Critically reflect how wound assessment influences clinical decision making in wound care  Using a patient centred approach, appraise the value of a multi-disciplinary team (including significant others) approach to wound care  Examine the impact of patient involvement in the promotion of self-management of wounds