Wound Assessment and Documentation

In addition to noting the characteristics of the wound itself, clinicians should also examine the periwound and the surrounding skin, comparing this tissue to the skin outside the affected area, as well as comparing the opposite (contralateral) side where possible. Structure and Quality When assessing the periwound and surrounding skin, the following should be noted:…

Prior to assessing a wound, it may be necessary to irrigate and/or debride the wound so that the actual size of the wound can be determined, as well as the wound characteristics. Ideally, the same person should assess the wound each time, with the patient positioned in the same manner, to maximize the reliability of…

When assessing a wound for the first time, it’s important to look at extenuating factors that may have contributed to formation of the wound, as well as factors that may influence healing of the wound. In addition to looking at lifestyle, past and current medical and wound history, diagnostics such as lab tests, functional status…

Diagnostic tests can be an important part of wound assessment, providing valuable information about the patient’s health status as well as the patient’s potential for healing. Although you as a practitioner may not order all of these tests, tests are often available as part of the patient file or may be requested from the patient’s…

Obviously, when you are assessing a patient for the first time it is important to ask about their current wound and the circumstances behind it. Equally important is to ask about their history of previous wounds in terms of what treatments were used, how long it took to heal the wound and whether there were…

Wound assessment – where do you start? When assessing a new client with a wound, it is important to obtain a comprehensive medical history, including a wound history. Gathering this information will assist the clinician in preparing a plan of care tailored to the patient and taking into account any medical issues that may affect…

Wounds are more than the sum of their parts- they are caused by a myriad of factors that come together to create the setting in which a wound is permitted to form and heal. As such, clinicians must consider both internal and external factors that influence wound formation and (hopefully) wound healing. In this segment,…

What is Wound Assessment? Wound assessment can be considered to be three things: vital, informed and dynamic. Let’s take an in-depth look at what wound assessment is and why it is important. Wound assessment is vital: without a thorough wound assessment, you will be unable to formulate a plan of care, gauge the progress of…

Wound care assessment, defined as the documentation of information obtained via observation, questioning, physical examination, and clinical investigations, is a fundamental aspect of wound management. Without wound assessment, it is not possible to gauge healing progress and therefore to determine whether or not a current intervention is effective and should be pursued or modified. Initial…