• J L Hadcock.
• Intensive Care Unit, Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, Hope Hospital, Salford, Manchester.
• Br J Nurs. 2000 May 25; 9 (10): 614-6, 618, 620 passim.

AbstractReflection and evaluation of wound care administered within the intensive care unit where the author is based suggested that an inadequate level of care was being provided. No structured approach existed; documentation was poor, with practitioners struggling to make decisions on appropriate care. A research study supported these reflections, and implied that wound care was delivered on an ad hoc basis. Results indicated that this was due to the limited knowledge base of practitioners in relation to the wound healing process, and wound management. Few staff had ever received any training on this topic and most knowledge was acquired through trial and error. No evidence-based approach to wound care was in place: thus, care was random and outdated. The results from the research study stimulated the development of a comprehensive evidence-based reference guide on the topic of wound care, which was designed for use in the clinical setting, and has allowed the development of a structured approach to wound care.

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