Evidence, research, and clinical practice: a patient-centered framework for progress in wound care

Updating Wound Care Algorithms: A Systematic, Focused Review

PURPOSE

The purpose of this project was to update the underlying evidence base for basic wound care in the Solutions Wound Care Algorithms and revise this resource as needed.

METHODS

The 14 major algorithm goals, guidelines, and outcomes of patient care and 34 detailed qualifying assessment and management statements/steps were reconstructed to encompass 21 qualifying statements/steps and aligned with their most recent (2013) levels of evidence. Next, a systematic, focused review of the literature was conducted to update the evidence levels using the Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy.

SEARCH STRATEGY

An English language search of CINAHL, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) electronic databases was conducted for the years 2015-2023. For each wound type, the following search terms were used: meta-analysis, systematic review, randomized controlled trial, clinical practice guideline, clinical trial, and wound care/healing and dressings. Publications not focused on the patient population or qualifying statements were excluded.

FINDINGS

The search retrieved 59 elements that met the predetermined criteria for analysis and leveling. All qualifying statements and steps remain evidence-based. Higher quality evidence became available for nutritional status assessment, exercise to reduce risk factors for various types of lower extremity ulcers, using tap water to cleanse wounds; that delayed wound healing may be a sign of infection, and that silver-containing dressings are effective when used appropriately. No basic patient and wound care steps have the highest level of evidence (level 1) and strength of recommendation (A).

CONCLUSION

Compared to previous updates, we found fewer clinical trials indicating a need for research to improve evidence levels for various steps of basic wound assessment and care processes.

Le transfert des connaissances en soins de plaies chez les infirmières : une revue intégrative des écrits

Introduction : Wound care represents a public health issue and is an important concern for nursing care.Context : Despite the availability of best practice recommendations and clinical practice guidelines, there is a lack of use of this evidence in clinical practice.Objectives : The aim of this integrative review is to identify the barriers to nurses’ optimal knowledge transfer in wound care.Method : An integrative literature review based on Whittemore and Knalf’s (2005) methodology was conducted ; six databases were searched.Results : Of the 82 articles that were retrieved, 13 were retained for analysis. They were all published in English. The literature highlights a theory–practice gap in wound care. Barriers related to knowledge, attitudes, and environmental factors contribute to this gap.Discussion : Nursing could benefit from interventions to improve its role in wound care. The perspectives of new graduate nurses as well as nurses working in rural healthcare settings were limited.Conclusion : A strategic plan, adapted to the situation of each healthcare facility, could improve the quality of wound care practice.

Effectiveness of an Evidence-Based Practice Nurse Mentor Training Program

BACKGROUND

Multiple reasons are cited for why nurses do not incorporate evidence into clinical practice, including lack of knowledge and skills, training, time, and organizational support.

AIMS

To investigate the effectiveness of a mentor training program on mentors' perceptions of knowledge, attitude, skill, and confidence levels, and organizational readiness related to evidence-based practice (EBP) and research utilization; and to investigate the effectiveness of creating a formalized structure to enculturate EBP in order to prepare nurses to incorporate EBP into clinical practice on nurses' perceptions of knowledge, attitude, skill levels, barriers, nursing leadership, and organizational support related to EBP and research utilization.

METHODS

A two-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental, interventional design was used. A convenience sample of 66 mentors and 367 nurses working at a five hospital integrated healthcare system located in the Southeastern United States participated.

FINDINGS

Nurse mentors' knowledge, attitude, skill level, and organizational readiness related to EBP, t = -8.64, p < .001, and confidence, t = -6.36, p < .001, improved after training. Nurses' knowledge, attitude, and skill level related to EBP, t = -19.12, p < .001, and barriers to research utilization, t = 20.86, p < .001, EBP work environment t = -20.18, p < .001, and EBP nurse leadership, t = -16.50, p < .001, improved after a formalized structure was implemented.

LINKING EVIDENCE TO ACTION

EBP mentors are effective in educating and supporting nurses in evidence-based care. Leaders should use a multifaceted approach to build and sustain EBP, including developing a critical mass of EBP mentors to work with point of care staff.

Wound Dressings and Comparative Effectiveness Data

Significance: Injury to the skin provides a unique challenge, as wound healing is a complex and intricate process. Acute wounds have the potential to move from the acute wound to chronic wounds, requiring the physician to have a thorough understanding of outside interventions to bring these wounds back into the healing cascade. Recent Advances: The development of new and effective interventions in wound care remains an area of intense research. Negative pressure wound therapy has undoubtedly changed wound care from this point forward and has proven beneficial for a variety of wounds. Hydroconductive dressings are another category that is emerging with studies underway. Other modalities such as hyperbaric oxygen, growth factors, biologic dressings, skin substitutes, and regenerative materials have also proven efficacious in advancing the wound-healing process through a variety of mechanisms. Critical Issues: There is an overwhelming amount of wound dressings available in the market. This implies the lack of full understanding of wound care and management. The point of using advanced dressings is to improve upon specific wound characteristics to bring it as close to "ideal" as possible. It is only after properly assessing the wound characteristics and obtaining knowledge about available products that the "ideal" dressing may be chosen. Future Directions: The future of wound healing at this point remains unknown. Few high-quality, randomized controlled trials evaluating wound dressings exist and do not clearly demonstrate superiority of many materials or categories. Comparative effectiveness research can be used as a tool to evaluate topical therapy for wound care moving into the future. Until further data emerge, education on the available products and logical clinical thought must prevail.

Utility of a human-mouse xenograft model and in vivo near-infrared fluorescent imaging for studying wound healing

To study the complex cellular interactions involved in wound healing, it is essential to have an animal model that adequately mimics the human wound microenvironment. Currently available murine models are limited because wound contraction introduces bias into wound surface area measurements. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate utility of a human-mouse xenograft model for studying human wound healing. Normal human skin was harvested from elective abdominoplasty surgery, xenografted onto athymic nude (nu/nu) mice, and allowed to engraft for 3 months. The graft was then wounded using a 2-mm punch biopsy. Wounds were harvested on sequential days to allow tissue-based markers of wound healing to be followed sequentially. On the day of wound harvest, mice were injected with XenoLight RediJect cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) probe and imaged according to package instructions. Immunohistochemistry confirms that this human-mouse xenograft model is effective for studying human wound healing in vivo. Additionally, in vivo fluorescent imaging for inducible COX-2 demonstrated upregulation from baseline to day 4 (P = 0·03) with return to baseline levels by day 10, paralleling the reepithelialisation of the wound. This human-mouse xenograft model, combined with in vivo fluorescent imaging provides a useful mechanism for studying molecular pathways of human wound healing.