District nurses' knowledge and practice of wound assessment: 2.
The first article in this series reported a study that examined the wound assessment practices of 20 district nurses in one healthcare trust. The most common method of assessing wounds was found to be a combination of observation and experience (Vol 7(7): 380-6). This article, the second part, describes the subsequent establishment of a forum to develop a research-based wound assessment tool. The issues surrounding changing practice are complex. It is clear that the process of basing practice on evidence is the responsibility of all those who are involved in healthcare. However, there is an urgent need to bring the practice, research and education agenda closer with organizational and managerial commitment to change. This work suggests that a short-term increase in resources will result in possible long-term benefits for patient care.
Kennedy
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Marie Curie Cancer Care, Marie Curie Centre, Fairmile, Edinburgh.
Arundel
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D015400:Clinical Nursing Research; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education*; D011637:Public Health Nursing / Q000193:education*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing*