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MEASURE: A proposed assessment framework for developing best practice recommendations for wound assessment
David H Keast1, C Keith Bowering, A Wayne Evans
1Department of Family Medicine, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. akeast@sympatico.ca
Summary
Effective nonhealing wound management requires thorough assessment and individualized strategies. The MEASURE mnemonic provides a framework for consistent chronic wound evaluation and intervention, improving patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Wound Healing
- Clinical Assessment
Background:
- Effective management of nonhealing wounds relies on comprehensive patient history, wound assessment, and analysis of causative factors.
- Individualized strategies and regular reassessment are crucial for successful wound healing interventions.
- Current wound assessment practices face challenges including non-uniform terminology and variable reliability of techniques.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review clinically useful wound measurement approaches.
- To provide an overview of chronic wound assessment principles for clinicians.
- To introduce the MEASURE mnemonic for standardized wound assessment.
Main Methods:
- The study is based on a meeting of wound healing experts in June 2003.
- A review of clinically useful wound measurement approaches was conducted.
- The MEASURE mnemonic was developed to encapsulate key wound parameters.
Main Results:
- The MEASURE mnemonic (Measure, Exudate, Appearance, Suffering, Undermining, Reevaluate, Edge) was introduced.
- This mnemonic addresses key parameters for chronic wound assessment and management.
- Preliminary recommendations for best practice guidelines in wound assessment were provided.
Conclusions:
- Standardized wound assessment is essential for effective management of nonhealing wounds.
- The MEASURE mnemonic offers a structured approach to chronic wound evaluation.
- Further development of best practice guidelines for wound assessment is recommended.