Importance of holistic wound assessment

Wound care is an expensive area of treatment. The importance of understanding wound assessment and the complexities of clinical management is essential in ensuring that cost-effective and evidence-based interventions are used.

The government's agenda for wound care has suggested that, as a result of advances in tissue viability, more complex wound care can now be provided in community settings.¹

Practice nurses need to develop accurate wound assessment skills and understand the complexities of wound assessment to be able to effectively plan, implement and evaluate care for patients.

Importance of assessment

It is important to undertake a holistic assessment of the patient when managing acute or chronic wounds. This type of assessment should include several factors, including history of the wound and current medication.