Adaptation of evidence-based surgical wound care algorithm

Area of Science:

• Nursing Science
• Critical Care Medicine
• Wound Management

Background:

• Surgical wound care requires evidence-based guidelines, especially in critical care settings.
• Existing guidelines may lack precision or applicability for critically ill patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt an existing surgical wound care algorithm for use in a critical care unit.
• To develop an evidence-based nursing intervention for critical care wound management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the ADAPTE process for clinical practice guideline development.
• Adapted the 'Bonnie Sue wound care algorithm' as a foundation.
• Conducted a Content Validity Index (CVI) study with 135 critical care nurses using a 5-point Likert scale (criterion ≥.75).

Main Results:

• Developed a 9-component surgical wound care algorithm covering assessment, infection control, tissue management, classification, dressing selection, systemic factors, outcomes, and non-healing wound management.
• Achieved CVI scores of ≥.75 for all components, indicating high content validity.
• The new algorithm offers enhanced precision in wound assessment, improved care reliability, broader applicability to critically ill patients, and stronger evidence-based recommendations.

Conclusions:

• The adapted surgical wound care algorithm supports the advancement of evidence-based nursing care.
• Implementation of this algorithm is anticipated as a valuable nursing intervention in critical care settings.