Assessing the value of practice-based leg ulcer education to inform recommendations for change in practice

To explore the factors that impact on patient concordance with venous leg ulcer management using compression therapy

It is understood that intervention for venous leg ulcer (VLU) management is more successful the sooner compression is applied, yet healing rates of VLUs are falling and recurrence rates increasing. This literature review seeks to explore the factors affecting patient concordance with compression therapy to manage VLU. Of the literature searched, 14 articles were identified and four themes of reasons for non-concordance emerged: education; pain/discomfort; physical limitations; and psychosocial issues. The reasons for non-concordance are vast and complex; district nurses must explore these reasons to help improve the alarming rates of non-concordance. A personalised approach is necessary to meet individual needs. High risks of ulcer recurrence are noted and a greater understanding of the chronic nature of ulceration should be conveyed. Follow-up care and building trust is linked with higher rates of concordance. Further research is needed within district nursing as the majority of venous ulceration is managed within the community.

Knowledge and teaching-learning methods regarding venous leg ulcers in nursing professionals and students: A scoping review

AIM

According to our scoping review questions, three aims were formulated to synthesize the evidence published on: (1) the content (2) the best or most appropriate teaching-learning methods for training nurses and undergraduate nursing students in venous leg ulcer care, and (3) to identify the level of knowledge in nurses and undergraduate nursing students about venous leg ulcer care.

BACKGROUND

A venous leg ulcer can be defined as a skin lesion on the leg or foot that occurs in an area affected by ambulatory venous hypertension. Hence, nurse visits are the main driver of Venous Leg Ulcer-related healthcare costs. Optimal levels of knowledge obtained with appropriate methodologies tend to improve care. Nonetheless, the time devoted to chronic wound education in undergraduate nursing curricula has been considered insufficient and inadequate.

METHODS

For this scoping review, a search was performed in January 2021. To identify sources of evidence, a systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, Scopus, Cuiden, ERIC and ScienceDirect. All types of evidence associated with knowledge, teaching and/or learning methods regarding venous leg ulcers in nursing were included.

RESULTS

Finally, 19 documents were included. In these articles, the content mostly widely included in teaching-learning methods was compression therapy (14/19), anatomy, physiology, aetiology and/or pathophysiology (10/19) and topical treatment and care (8/19); various other topics were mentioned but less frequently. Teaching/learning methods and interventions were heterogeneous in modality, content, and duration but the majority showed better results after implementation. When looking at knowledge level, studies mainly focused on nursing staff. In general, it seems that there is a lack of knowledge and skills.

CONCLUSIONS

Regarding our three pivotal questions: (1) There is no uniform type of content over the studies analysed and the most referred was compression therapy. (2) The educational interventions studied have demonstrated effectiveness, but there is insufficient data to determine which is the most effective. (3) This scoping review has highlighted the lack of knowledge among nurses and nursing students about venous leg ulcer care. Additionally, we felt that there is no ideal assessment tool to quantify knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment in this context.

TWEETABLE ABSTRACT

A scoping review that synthesise the evidence on the level of knowledge and teaching-learning methods in nursing regarding of people with venous leg ulcers shows lack of knowledge and variability in programs.

Implementation of a wound care education project to improve the wound care competency among psychiatric nurses: A quality improvement project and feasibility study

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: Compared to the general population, people with mental illness die several years prematurely. The prevalence of chronic physical illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease is higher in people with mental health illnesses, putting them at increased risk of developing skin wounds. The majority of the studies on wound care education and management were carried out in acute care and long-term care settings. A very few addressed the wound care needs for psychiatric patients and the educational needs of nurses in the mental health setting. WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: This study adds to the existing evidence by offering an evidence-based solution to equip Psychiatric and Mental Health Nurses (PMHNs) with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide high-quality wound care to patients. When a lack of wound care competency has been identified, it may be worth the effort to provide education and training to psychiatric nurses on wound care management. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: This project has the potential benefit of healthcare cost savings, which can be further investigated in a future study, for instance, a pilot randomized controlled trial to estimate the parameters for a full-trial and cost-effectiveness study. Future mental health nursing practice and research need to focus on finding solutions to help support PMHNs improve their competence in caring for physical illnesses. ABSTRACT: Introduction People with mental illnesses are at increased risk of developing skin wounds. A very few studies addressed the wound care needs for psychiatric patients and the educational needs for psychiatric and mental health nurses (PMHNs). Aim A wound care education-feasibility and quality improvement project-was implemented to improve wound care competence among nurses on the Seniors' Mental Health Units at a psychiatric hospital. Methods A total of 36 nurses participated in wound care knowledge education and completed both the pretest and post-test. Four nurses participated in wound care skills training. Results The post-intervention mean score increase for wound care knowledge was 5.14 (178%) and for skills was 7(75.7%). The results were statistically significant (p < .001). Discussion This study adds to the existing evidence by offering an evidence-based solution to equip PMHNs with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide high-quality wound care to patients. Implications for Practice and Research Future mental health nursing practice and research need to focus on finding evidence-based practical solutions to help support PMHNs improve their ability to care for physical illnesses. A future pilot randomized controlled trial will be needed to estimate the parameters for a full-trial and cost-effectiveness study.