Wound care practices in the United States

Wound management is a crucial aspect of patient care and the nurse often is faced with the question of which approaches to use to provide an environment that supports healing and prevents complications. Important questions include how different types of wounds should be dressed, what method of debridement to use, whether dressings should be changed using sterile versus unsterile technique, and which adjunctive therapies to select under given circumstances. These topics are of interest to clinicians as they represent actual clinical practice and some of the major debates among health care providers who are trying to determine which practices to use to optimize wound healing. While studies are available that compare specific products, no data are available at this time regarding the current wound care practices in the United States. If data documenting the existing wound care practices were available, they would increase understanding of how other professionals manage wound care and provide the basis for planning patient care as well as educational programs and research on wound care.