Wound care practices: a survey of acute care nurses

Abstract

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To describe the self-reported wound care practices of acute care nurses practising in a large metropolitan hospital in Queensland, Australia. BACKGROUND: Wound infections occur in up to 30% of surgical procedures and are the third most commonly reported hospital-acquired infection. The growing complexity and cost of wound care demand that nurses use wound care knowledge based on best practice guidelines. DESIGN: Descriptive cross-sectional survey design. METHODS: A convenience sample of 250 medical and surgical nurses working in an acute care facility was invited to complete a 42-item survey. The survey was based on an extensive literature review and an environmental scan of wound care issues in major hospitals, Australia. RESULTS: The survey was completed by 120 acute care nurses with a response rate of 48%. Ninety (75.6%) respondents reported that 'wound appearance' was the most important factor guiding their choice of dressing product. Only 6 (5.0%) respondents considered the cost of a dressing product 'highly important'. Fifty-nine (50.4%) respondents reported being 'unaware' of the national standards pertaining to wound management, and only 41 (34.7%) respondents reported that their knowledge of wound products was 'good' or 'excellent'. The majority (n = 89, 75.4%) of respondents used the hospital's wound care specialist nurses as the primary source of information in regard to managing acute wounds. CONCLUSIONS: Although acute care nurses have a sound knowledge of wound healing processes, it appears that many do not use the recommended clinical guideline pertaining to wound care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: While it is important for nurses to detect early wound complications, treatment plans based on wound assessments need to be informed by current clinical