Integrating wound care research into clinical practice

The process of integrating wound care research into clinical practice incorporates research methodology--i.e., the standardized practices, procedures, and rules by which research is performed--and an evidence-based approach. Using examples from the literature and clinician experience treating pressure ulcers in a 32-bed regional spinal cord injury unit in a tertiary referral center in Cleveland, Ohio, the authors describe this process and review the challenges faced by an interdisciplinary skin care team tasked with implementing evidence-based care. Additional considerations include determining the amount of current wound care that is evidence-based and whether wound prevention and care outcomes are improved through the use of evidence-based medicine. Five years after establishing the skin care team and implementing evidence-based care, improvements in care processes and short-term outcomes--specifically, pressure ulcer prevention and treatment protocols including documentation--have been realized. Studies to ascertain the effects of these changes on long-term outcomes are planned.