Setting a standard for leg ulcer assessment

Abstract

District nurses in one division of Highland Communities NHS Trust set a standard for the assessment of leg ulcers and audited their practice against it. The standard was that ‘each patient referred with a leg ulcer is assessed by a trained nurse, using the agreed ulcer assessment form and Doppler ultrasound, within two weeks of referral’. This paper describes the audit processes which have led to the development of a multidisciplinary team approach for the management of leg ulcers in the community. It was found that only 30% (n=7) of the nurses surveyed met with the required standard. The survey will be repeated following the official implementation of the standard.

Visual wound-assessment by population groups with different educational backgrounds

“…In practice, however, most persons involved in wound therapy and wound documentation take advantage of few of the abovementioned documentation aid possibilities or training and/or show a lack of knowledge and training (17). Elliot et al showed that 50% of nurses in Great Britain only undertake a visual assessment of wounds (6,20). The documentation is often limited to statements such as "become smaller/larger" or "unchanged condition" or "wound coated".…”

El índice tobillo-brazo como predictor de mortalidad vascular

“…El ITB también tiene un papel relevante en la valoración y tratamiento de úlceras vasculares. Las directrices actuales para la valoración de úlceras en la extremidad inferior estipulan que el ITB debe ser medido antes de decidir el tratamiento (69) pero solamente un escaso porcentaje de enfermeras de Atención Primaria conocen los criterios requeridos para la valoración de úlceras (70). Por otra parte, la falta de acceso a un doppler o a forma- Fig.…”