• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Course Login

WoundEducators.com | Online Wound Care Certification Courses

Your online source for wound care certification.

  • Courses
  • About Us
    • Meet The Team
    • Risk-Free Guarantee
    • Accredited Wound Care Course Info
    • Student Testimonials
    • Our Mission to Help
  • Why Certify?
    • What’s Included
    • How Hard is Wound Care Certification?
    • Wound Care Certification Cost
    • Wound Care Certification for Nurses
    • Getting Started: Wound Care Certification
  • Resources
    • Sign up for Our Newsletter
    • Search Wound Care Jobs
    • Post a Wound Care Job
    • Submit Your Resume
    • I Completed My Wound Care Course – Now What?
    • Wound Care CE Hours Online
    • Wound Care Recertification Process
  • Certifications
    • Compare Wound Care Certification Options
    • ABWM® Wound Care Certifications
      • The CWCA® Certification
      • The CWS® Certification
      • The CWSP® Wound Care Certification
    • The WCC® Certification
    • The AWCC® Wound Care Certification
    • The CWCN® Certification
  • Blog
  • FAQ’s
  • Contact

The Basics of Wound Examination

May 26, 2011 3 Comments

7
SHARES
ShareTweetGoogle +Linkedin
PinterestRedditTumblrStumbleuponDiggDelicious

Previous articles in this series have considered the importance of a full patient examination and systems review as part of a wound assessment. While these elements are essential and provide a great deal of vital information, nothing can substitute for a thorough and detailed assessment of the wound itself. A careful wound examination is important to drive management strategies, and also to provide full documentation against which healing progress can be measured.

Characteristics, Location, Size

A full wound examination should record details of the wound characteristics, location, and size as an initial assessment. Wound location can provide important information about the etiology of the wound and can also direct therapeutic interventions and wound dressing choices. Wound size can be measured directly using measuring sticks, through wound tracings or photography or via volumetric measurement. Whichever method is chosen to record the size of the wound, it is essential that it is then used consistently for every subsequent measurement.

Other wound characteristics that should be described and documented for every wound examination include the wound bed, wound edges, level of drainage, as well as the wound odor and color. The structure and quality of the periwound and associated skin should also be examined, and the presence of tunneling or undermining recorded. The presence and quality of the epithelial appendages can also give useful insights into the etiology of the wound, with an absence of hair suggesting long-standing ischemia and a thick and discolored nail indicating a fungal infection.  Furthermore, the presence of edema or induration or an abnormally raised temperature can suggest wound infection, which should be dealt with as a priority.

Systematic Approach & Evidence

The medical profession has been describing wounds for centuries, and many of the same characteristics and measurements are recorded today. The systematic approach that is adopted in modern medicine, however, provides a full record of each and every wound, allowing appropriate management decisions to be taken, enabling progress toward wound closure to be measured, and providing a file of evidence to support all clinical decisions.

To learn more about wound examination and refresh your knowledge in other critical areas of wound management, you may wish to consider becoming certified in wound management. As well as ensuring that your knowledge is fresh and current, a certification in wound management demonstrates your commitment to the area and may improve your job prospects and career opportunities.

Learn More With Our Wound Care Education Options

Interested in learning more about wound examination and wound care? Browse through our wound care certification courses for information on our comprehensive range of education options to suit healthcare professionals across the full spectrum of qualifications and experience.

References

  1. Ahn C, Salcido R. Advances in wound photography and assessment methods. Adv Skin & Wound Care. 2008; 21: 94-95
  2. Grey JE, Enoch S, Harding KG. Wound assessment. BMJ 2006; 332: 285
  3. Hess CT. Assessing the total patient. Adv Skin & Wound Care. 2008; 21: 192.
  4. Myers BA. Wound management principles and practice. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson; 2008.

Categories: Wound Assessment and Documentation

About the Author

Laurie Swezey's avatar

Laurie Swezey, founder and president of WoundEducators.com, has been a Registered Nurse for more than a quarter century, with most of those years dedicated to wound treatment. Ms. Swezey is a Certified Wound Care Nurse and a Certified Wound Specialist.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anonymous says

    April 16, 2010 at 2:29 am

    Do you know if the cd provided has some prep material on it? Maybe you can suggest some other book to purchase? Some other people have told me to ask for you to maybe reccomend some books on wounds that might be helpful as well. It’s funny that Theresa commented on having trouble with ALL the definitions and the skin. I had/have the same trouble. Even though I have been doing wound care for 5years now and feel very comfortable with treatments,staging a wound ect,I feel like I fell short on all the exact terminolgy & skin.Any suggestions? Thanks

    Reply
  2. Margarita Gonzalez says

    June 9, 2017 at 10:06 pm

    God bless you. I will like to have information in details about burn patients with second and third degree. It may include new treatment.
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Laurie Swezey says

      June 13, 2017 at 11:32 am

      Hi Maggie, thank you for your kind words. You can find useful information for burnt care at the following site. http://ameriburn.org

      Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Free Preview!

Sign up for our newsletter and enjoy a Free Preview of our Wound Care Certification Course!

Support Our “Where There’s a Wound, There’s a Way!™” Foundation

fundraiser logo

Join our “Where There’s a Wound, There’s a Way!™” fundraising campaign  Learn more

Payment Information

All major credit cards & PayPal accepted. All transactions are performed via a SSL secure server to ensure your privacy.

payments accepted visa mastercard amex discover paypal

Copyright © 2009-2021 WoundEducators.com
Wound Care Certification Courses | Risk Free Guarantee | Terms and Policies

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT