Wound care practices: a survey of acute care nurses.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To describe the self-reported wound care practices of acute care nurses practising in a large metropolitan hospital in Queensland, Australia. BACKGROUND Wound infections occur in up to 30% of surgical procedures and are the third most commonly reported hospital-acquired infection. The growing complexity and cost of wound care demand that nurses use wound care knowledge based on best practice guidelines. DESIGN Descriptive cross-sectional survey design. METHODS A convenience sample of 250 medical and surgical nurses working in an acute care facility was invited to complete a 42-item survey. The survey was based on an extensive literature review and an environmental scan of wound care issues in major hospitals, Australia. RESULTS The survey was completed by 120 acute care nurses with a response rate of 48%. Ninety (75·6%) respondents reported that 'wound appearance' was the most important factor guiding their choice of dressing product. Only 6 (5·0%) respondents considered the cost of a dressing product 'highly important'. Fifty-nine (50·4%) respondents reported being 'unaware' of the national standards pertaining to wound management, and only 41 (34·7%) respondents reported that their knowledge of wound products was 'good' or 'excellent'. The majority (n = 89, 75·4%) of respondents used the hospital's wound care specialist nurses as the primary source of information in regard to managing acute wounds. CONCLUSIONS Although acute care nurses have a sound knowledge of wound healing processes, it appears that many do not use the recommended clinical guideline pertaining to wound care. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE While it is important for nurses to detect early wound complications, treatment plans based on wound assessments need to be informed by current clinical guidelines. In implementing the guideline, it is essential to first identify barriers and facilitators to knowledge transfer.