A32 Principles of Wound Management

Abstract

Wound management involves an holistic assessment of the patient including age, diagnosis, nutritional status, medications and clinical condition, as these are all factors which can affect wound healing and influence the management plan. The wound assessment and management plan must be documented accurately at each dressing change to ensure continuity of care and provide comparable evidence.

Modern dressings allow moist wound healing to occur by maintaining a warm, moist and clean environment. The wear time of dressings will depend on the individual patient and the behaviour of the wound. The majority of dressings can be worn for up to 7 days; however in paediatric patients 3–5 days may be more realistic.