Wound bed preparation: a survey of general nurses' understanding.

This article will discuss the clinician's knowledge of wound assessment based on electronic voting responses gathered at the Journal of Wound Care conference, ''Wound Expo', held in September 2015. Data were gathered on aspects such as demographic data, experience and opinions. Each workshop lasted 45 minutes and they were designed purposely to be interactive and inclusive. The session was repeated ten times over the 2-day period. A total number of 196 delegates participated in the voting and amongst the questions posed they were asked to consider which term most suited their skill set and understanding, that of 'debridement' or 'desloughing'. Of the respondents, 91% stated that they felt most confident in desloughing.

Improving clinical outcomes and patient experience through the use of desloughing.

This article focuses on and aims to clarify the role of desloughing as a priority in modern-day wound care. Ambiguity around identification and slough removal has long been a clinical challenge. Effective removal of slough involves the elimination of dead and devitalised tissue as quickly and safely as possible, to enable the wound to return to a healthy state that supports healing. Desloughing is usually associated with typically conservative techniques compared with those used to debride necrotic tissue. More specific and timely targeted action to recognise and remove slough safely will significantly improve the clinical outcomes for patients as well as influence the effective use of scarce resources. The illustrative format of this article will facilitate how clinicians can become familiar with the different types of slough and the appropriate removal techniques.

Venous leg ulcer management: single use negative pressure wound therapy.

A number of leg ulcer specialist/tissue viability specialists from across the UK were invited to evaluate PICO (Smith and Nephew, Hull) as a treatment for venous leg ulcers also in conjunction with a variety of compression bandages and garments. Patients across 5 sites had PICO applied in conjunction with compression therapy. This group of treating clinicians were then asked to give feedback on the outcome of the patients on whom they had used the new device. All feedback was recorded at a meeting and this was used to create a guideline for use.

Chronic wounds: management of healing and wellbeing.

This article discusses the impact of living with a chronic wound including the individual's wellbeing and the need for clinicians to consider the complex and often challenging factors that can help or hinder the patient experience. Patient engagement in the care planning process is an important consideration in promoting concordance (Gray et al, 2011). When choosing a dressing regimen, clinical decision-making should be based on holistic assessment and include the patient's perspective, expectations and attitudes (Dowsett, 2008). Living with a chronic wound can have a significant impact on both the physical and psychological health of an individual and patients may suffer from multiple effects including reduced mobility, pain, poor nutrition and depression. Management plans that have been informed by patient feedback and are sensitive to their concerns can only serve to promote concordance and partnership and achieve a positive experience even when healing is not the endpoint.

Effective patient outcomes using a gelling fibre dressing.

Exudate has an important function within the process of wound healing; however, maintaining the wound bed at the optimum moisture level is a key factor in the wound's progression (Moore, 2005). A patient's experience of living with a wound is often tarnished when leakage caused by the fluid discharged is unmanageable, which can subsequently have a negative effect on daily living and quality of life (Edwards, 2003). Such wounds can cause substantial pain, suffering, loss of self-esteem, family distress, and a considerable financial cost to the NHS (Dowsett, 2011). It is estimated that 2-3% of the local healthcare budget will be spent on chronic wound management (Posnett et al, 2009). This article will present three case studies demonstrating the effective use of a gelling fibre dressing (Durafiber, Smith & Nephew) used on different wound aetiologies, including the clinical benefits and patient outcomes.

Using negative pressure therapy in wound healing.

Negative pressure wound therapy, also referred to as topical negative pressure therapy, is a useful treatment for a variety of acute and chronic wounds and, unlike many other wound treatments and dressings, has a relatively good evidence base to demonstrate its effectiveness. This article considers its application in both primary and acute care.

Gentle foam dressings: interim results of an evaluation of the Allevyn range.

An understanding of how wounds heal is vital to any practitioner involved in wound management, and an understanding of how dressings function and perform while on a patient's wound is important in the decision-making process of dressing selection. This article outlines the interim results of an international multi-centre clinical in-market evaluation, and demonstrates the benefits to the patient of using the Allevyn Gentle range of dressings (Smith & Nephew). These include excellent exudate management, comfort and conformability. These results were supported by the findings that clinicians rated the performance of Allevyn Gentle at 97.3% for the indication treated, while 100% felt that Allevyn Gentle Border was easy to apply.