IN THIS ISSUE OF JWOCN
This issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) balances cutting-edge research, novel synthesis of existing knowledge, and unique concepts from the best minds in WOC nursing. You will want to read this issue from cover to cover to hone your clinical skills, consider the newest thoughts about relevant clinical issues, and peer into the world of cutting-edge bench research to see how these dedicated scientists apply the latest clinical scholarship to enhance the evidence supporting our practice.
In this issue's Challenges in Practice, Glenda Brunette describes management of 5 neonates with amazingly complex pouching issues. This article is a masterful amalgam of visual images and lucid descriptions of cutting-edge pouching solutions in this vulnerable population and qualifies as must read for any WOC nurse faced with a consultation on an infant with a new ostomy. I join Challenges in Practice Section Editor Dr Debra Netsch in a call for additional manuscripts focusing on infants and children with chronic wounds, ostomies, or incontinence-related issues.
Terrie Beeson, Bethany Eifrid, Caitlin Pike, and Deputy Editor Joyce Pittman authored this issue's Evidence-Based Report Card that asks whether indwelling bowel management devices prevent pressure occurrences. You will want to read this well-written synthesis of current best evidence to determine the role of these devices in your facility's pressure injury prevention program.
This issue's Continence Care section opens with a study from Judith Fernando and Adrian Wagg on patient and direct care staff perceptions on acceptable wait times after soiling of absorptive products (pads) in patients with urinary and fecal incontinence. This article qualifies as must read for every WOC nurse; it is authored by physicians specializing in gerontology. I believe it was submitted to the JWOCN because they recognize WOC nurses as the readers most appreciative of the new knowledge revealed in this study and our role as the key clinical leaders most likely to turn this knowledge into meaningful changes in practice. As I often state, you are a continence nurse and your medical colleagues recognize this fact!
Containment of fecal matter, and protection of the perianal and perianal skin, is a particular challenge for many patients including those managed in the intensive care unit. Xing-Liang Zhou, Zhi He, Yan-He Chen, and Liu-Er Zuo report findings from their study of a second-generation anal pouch that combined the ostomy pouching technology contained in current anal pouches with ongoing suction and the ability to irrigate the reservoir in order to reduce pouch changes and prevent incontinence-associated dermatitis (IAD). Does this design merely add "bells and whistles" to a proven containment product, or does it extend the efficacy of this product category for management of fecal incontinence? Read this clinically relevant research report and judge for yourself!
Sunah Park, SoonGyo Yeoum, Yoonjung Kim, and Hye Jin Kwon report their qualitative study of Korean women with urinary incontinence. This study is must read because it provides unique and sobering insights into the loss of dignity, isolation from family, and persistent stigma associated with urinary incontinence.
Zunjia Wen, Wen Zhu, Qiaoyan Liu, Haiying Zhang, Binbin Mei, and Meifen Shen authored one of 2 articles in this issue that report findings from "bench" research. Specifically, they report attempts to establish an animal model for inducing varying degrees of IAD needed to study the effects of newer treatments for this prevalent condition. A second article reporting findings related to the prevalence, clonal diversity, and susceptibility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in chronic wounds. Authored by Fernanda Pessanha, Bruna Pires, Keila Silva, Bernadete de Carvalho, Lenise Teixeira, Geraldo de Paula, and Beatriz Guitton, this article broadens our insights into the survival, lineage, and susceptibility to antimicrobial treatment of this common, clinically relevant, and potentially lethal bacterial species in chronic wounds. In both cases, I believe the articles were submitted to a primarily clinical journal because the authors desire to share their findings with a group of expert clinicians capable of translating their work into meaningful and effective clinical decision-making in the management of individual patients.
In addition to a cutting-edge study using in vitro techniques, this issue's Wound Care section includes an article from Ye-Na Lee, Jong-Seok Lee, Seung-Kyu Han, and Hye-Kyung Jung that focuses on the effect of negative pressure wound therapy on local circulation in the feet of persons with diabetes mellitus. Does the technique for application in this vulnerable population truly improve local blood flow when compared to standard technique? Read this article and judge for yourself.
Catherine Ratliff, David Strider, Tanya Flohr, Danielle Moses, Virginia Rovnyak, Julie Armatas, Jennifer Johnson, Alison Okerlund, Mary Baldwin, Marian Lawson, Suzanne Fuhrmeister, Margaret Tracci, Gilbert Upchurch, and Kenneth Cherry report findings from a study of risk factors for vascular graft infection in patients recovering from abdominal or lower extremity revascularization surgery. This article qualifies as must read for every WOC nurse, especially in this era of prevention above all.
This issue's Wound Care section includes 2 articles focusing on hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Chen-Yu Chen, Re-Wen Wu, Mei-Chi Hsu, Ching-Jung Hsieh, and Man-Chun Chou report findings of a randomized controlled trial comparing standard therapy to standard therapy plus HBOT in patients with diabetes mellitus and foot wounds. You will want to read this article to determine whether the addition of HBOT adds clinically relevant benefits in patients who too often suffer from compromised wound healing potential because of their chronic diabetes. Katherine George, Dianne Ross, and Lynn Rowe also studied HBOT in persons with diabetes mellitus. Rather than evaluating efficacy in wound healing, they investigated an important adverse side effect of HBOT in this population, hypoglycemia. This article qualifies as must read for any WOC nurse providing direct or consulting in the care of patient undergoing HBOT for enhancement of chronic wound healing.
This issue's Ostomy Care section opens with a study of Web-based resources for patients with ostomies. Joyce Pittman, Thom Nichols, and Susan Rawl evaluated 4 major Web pages providing advice to persons with ostomies using a gap analysis technique completed by content experts and telephone survey of persons with ostomies (the main users of such sites). This article qualifies as must read for every WOC nurse since it explores a ubiquitous source for information on ostomy care viewed and used by a rapidly growing proportion of patients with ostomies, the World Wide Web.
Per Herlufsen and Anne Brodsgaard report findings from their qualitative analysis of persons admitted to hospital for urgent (emergent) ostomy creation. You will want to read this insightful and enlightening description of the lived experiences of this understudied group of patients undergoing ostomy surgery on a global basis.
This issue's Getting Ready for Certification feature article focuses on preparation for certification and recertification in the area of continence care. In addition to providing to current thoughts from members of the WOCNCB, this article provides sample questions and enormous insights into the types of items contained in this essential component of wound, ostomy, or continence practice.
Finally, I want to highlight 2 Views From Here guest commentaries. Kathleen Lawrence provides wisdom and insights into your role in public policy advocacy. Now, more than ever, we are faced with profound and not easily solved challenges providing care to our family, our neighbors, our fellow citizens, and ourselves. Kathleen's must-read primer on how you can positively impact the rapidly evolving public policies that determine the care our patients perceive is no longer an important adjunct to individual practice; it is now an essential strategy for our survival. Read this important editorial commentary and act upon her recommendations!
Leanne Richbourg's View From Here concerns classification of wounds affecting the nose. As recent changes in the NPUAP pressure injury classification system amply demonstrate, language is relevant to both clinical practice and public policy. I strongly encourage you to read Leanne's novel perspective and weigh in with your opinion concerning the how we classify these wounds. Joy and I eagerly await your Letters to the Editor on this and any other article appearing in the premiere journal for our specialty practice.
TRANSITIONS WITHIN THE JWOCN EDITORIAL BOARD
I am pleased to announce that Dr Catherine Ratliff has agreed to join the Editorial Board of JWOCN as our newest Section Editor. Dr Ratliff is an associate professor with the School of Nursing at the University of Virginia and a nurse practitioner with the University's Wound Care Clinic. She has published multiple times in JWOCN and provided peer review for numerous manuscripts. Her recent publications include "Factors Related to Ostomy Leakage in the Community Setting" (JWOCN 2014;41:249-253) and "Tools for Assessing Peristomal Skin Complications" (JWOCN 2013;40:131-134). I have known Catherine for more than 20 years and can personally attest to her ability to provide precisely the high level of editorial expertise and gentle mentoring needed by our authors and demanded by our readers. The decision to appoint Catherine is a direct result of the stellar expertise and collaboration provided by Teresa Kelechi and Dea Kent, who serve as Section Editors of your Wound Care section. Catherine will be joining Jan Colwell as Section Editor of our Ostomy Care section. This pairing of a globally renowned clinician and scholar with a seasoned and internationally preeminent researcher and clinician is essential to provide the world-class journal you have come to demand as an essential benefit of your membership in the WOCN Society. Join us in welcoming Catherine as the latest addition to the Editorial Board of the premiere journal for WOC nurses!