The management of the client with a leg ulcer: precarious nursing practice

The management of clients who present at the doctor's surgery with leg ulcers follows an accepted but often perilous course. It is generally accepted custom and practice that the overall care of this client group is delegated to nurses without the medical practitioner first determining the nature of the underlying pathology. The usual arrangement of care for patients with leg ulcers is such that the development of chronic wounds is almost inevitable. The author, drawing on the medical and nursing literature and on the findings of her ongoing doctoral research, suggests that nurses in primary care should re-examine this area of practice and consider alternative approaches that would emphasize the unique contribution professional nursing practice could bring to this patient group.