title: Wound assessment.
abstract: Wound assessment, combined with a thorough patient history, is the foundation for developing a plan of care and for assessing its efficacy. A wound assessment will enable the clinician to determine whether the wound is infected, needs surgical intervention, and what modality of treatment is necessary. In clinical practice, wound assessment remains the only way to determine whether the wound is progressing and moving to the desired goal of care. This article will present the implications and fundamentals of an accurate wound assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic Surgery, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, D-4207 Medical Center North, 1161 21st Avenue, Nashville, TN 37232, USA. marcia.spear@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spear
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000451:nursing* / Q000473:pathology