Wound assessment tools and nurses' needs: an evaluation study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain how well different wound assessment tools meet the needs of nurses in carrying out general wound assessment and whether current tools are fit for purpose. The methodology employed was evaluation research. In order to conduct the evaluation, a literature review was undertaken to identify the criteria of an optimal wound assessment tool which would meet nurses' needs. Several freely available wound assessment tools were selected based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and an audit tool was developed to evaluate the selected tools based on how well they met the criteria of the optimal wound assessment tool. The results provide a measure of how well the selected wound assessment tools meet the criteria of the optimal wound assessment tool. No tool was identified which fulfilled all the criteria, but two (the Applied Wound Management tool and the National Wound Assessment Form) met the most criteria of the optimal tool and were therefore considered to best meet nurses' needs in wound assessment. The study provides a mechanism for the appraisal of wound assessment tools using a set of optimal criteria which could aid practitioners in their search for the best wound assessment tool.

Adaptação Transcultural De Um Instrumento De Avaliação De Feridas

“…A assistência ao paciente com feridas deve ser baseada em um cuidado integral e a avaliação da ferida é parte fundamental desse processo (19) . Para nortear os profissionais na avaliação, são fundamentais a utilização de instrumentos que lhes fornecerão subsídios no tratamento de feridas e a escolha do agente terapêutico adequado, além de possibilitar o acompanhamento da evolução da lesão durante todo o processo de reparação tecidual em cada fase da cicatrização (20) .…”

Evaluation of the internal and external responsiveness of the Pressure Ulcer Scale for Healing (PUSH) tool for assessing acute and chronic wounds

“…As a result of the global increase in chronic disease due to population ageing (Dall et al 2013, Wu et al 2013, it is foreseeable that there will be a concomitant increase in the number of people with wounds secondary to chronic disease. An important component of wound care management involves regular wound assessments to monitor healing progress (Greatrex-White & Moxey 2015). Using validated instruments to perform and record wound care assessments helps to provide a more standardized method for documentation and communication of the wound condition between healthcare providers and over time (Mullins et al 2005, Arndt & Kelechi 2014.…”

“…In recent years, a community-based multidisciplinary team approach has been widely adopted for delivery of wound care services (Abrahamyan et al 2015). A generic and easy-to-use wound assessment instrument that is applicable to a variety of wound types would be a useful tool enabling multidisciplinary wound care teams to assess and compare wounds more efficiently (Greatrex-White & Moxey 2015). This is particularly relevant for wound care management delivered in primary care and community settings, where wound care providers often encounter patients with diverse wound types that may range from acute post-surgical wounds to chronic ulcers (Friman et al 2011, Dutton et al 2014.…”

Development of an accurate nursing program based on function in chronic venous leg ulcers: protocol for matching function status with nursing interventions using the Delphi survey

“…It has been reported that more and more patients with wounds need wound management in the community setting. 13 The nursing activities for patients with VLUs in various institutions cannot reach unitary quality due to the limitations of skills and methods. The status quo of wound care has reported that the demand of advanced practice nurses exceeds supply.…”

“…By providing a nursing program for clinical nurses to follow, which can lead to faster wound healing, a reduction in complications, shorter patient stay, and finally improved quality of care that results in reduced costs are observed. 13 The use of standardized nursing terminology will also promote nursing practice and drive nursing revolution.…”