By Paula Erwin-Toth MSN, RN, CWOCN, CNS, FAAN

Happy Spring! At least that is what the calendar indicates, but recent temperatures across much of the US seem to dispute that fact.

I have been asked to list my 'Top 10' wound care resources for nurses. There are so many wonderful guidelines, books and journals relating to wound care it is very difficult to narrow down the number on my list. Instead of the 'Top 10' a la late night TV I was asked to write, with difficulty I was able to narrow the list down to an even dozen.

Granted, I am biased toward resources directed toward Wound, Ostomy and Continence (WOC) nurses. However, as specialty nurses we have long been proponents of patient-focused, evidence-based care, so I believe all nurses will find this list helpful.

The Importance of the Interdisciplinary Team in Wound Care

An interdisciplinary approach to patient care is essential for all disciplines and especially critical for effective wound care. We all approach our patient interactions from our backgrounds and skill set. A suitable metaphor might be a wheel. From the hub of a wheel a varying number of spokes of equal length arise and insert into a rim. The hub is the reason the spokes exist-much like wound care specialists focus their attention on the patient. The rim completes the wheel. Without a rim there would be no unity and the wheel would not function.

It is critical that all health care providers and family caregivers involved in caring for a person with a wound communicate and work together. Broken spokes and gaps in a rim will not allow a wheel to perform as intended nor will poor communication and lack of continuity and unity among the health care team and caregivers lead to an optimum patient outcome.

The wheel metaphor for wound care can be extended from wheels to axles and shock absorbers to name only a few. That being said we only have so much control over events and behavior – most notably our own. Here is to you – one of the vital spokes arising from and into the hub and supporting the rim. May your wheel function at the optimum level and travel free of potholes!

Essential Resources for Wound, Ostomy and Continence Care Providers

This list represents a small sample of the resources available to health care providers in the field of wound, ostomy and continence care. In addition to such websites WOCN website and WoundSource, you may find the following publications useful in your practice.

Professional Practice Guidelines

1. Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. (2011). Guideline for management of wounds in patients with lower-extremity venous disease (4 WOCN Clinical Practice Guidelines Series). Mount Laurel, NJ: WOCN.

2. Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. (2008). Guideline for management of wounds in patients with lower-extremity arterial disease (1 WOCN Clinical Practice Guidelines Series). Mount Laurel, NJ: WOCN.

3. Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. (2012) Guideline for management of wounds in patients with lower-extremity neuropathic disease (3 WOCN Clinical Practice Guidelines Series). Mount Laurel, NJ: WOCN.

4. Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society . (2010) Guidelines for Prevention and Management of Pressure Ulcers. (2 WOCN Clinical Practice Guidelines Series). Mount Laurel, NJ: WOCN.

Books

5. Baranoski, S. and Ayello, E. (Eds.) (2011) Wound Care Essentials: Practice Principles (3rd ed) Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

6. Bryant, R. & Nix, D. (Eds.), (2012) Acute and Chronic Wounds: Current Management Concepts. (4th ed) St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Mosby.

7. Hess, C. (2012) Clinical Guide to Skin and Wound Care (7th ed) Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

8. Krasner, D., (Ed.) (2012) Chronic Wound Care 5 (5th ed) Malvern, PA: HMP Communications.

9. Sussman, C. and Jensen, B. (2011) Wound Care: A Collaborative Practice Manual for Health Professionals (4th ed) Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Journals

10. Advances in Skin and Wound Care. The International Journal for Prevention and Healing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

11. Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing. Official Publication of the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

12. Ostomy Wound Management (OWM). The Official Journal of the AAWC (Association of the Advancement of Wound Care) Malvern, PA: HMP Communications.

What resources do you rely on the most in your practice? I encourage you to share your own 'Top 10,' or '12,' however many there may be, by posting a comment below.

About The Author
Paula Erwin-Toth has over 30 years of experience in wound, ostomy and continence care. She is a well-known author, lecturer and patient advocate who is dedicated to improving the care of people with wounds, ostomies and incontinence in the US and abroad.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author, and do not represent the views of WoundSource, Kestrel Health Information, Inc., its affiliates, or subsidiary companies.