IN THIS ISSUE OF JWOCN
Under the leadership of President Dea Kent, the Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nurses Society and its official Journal are striving to support and spearhead efforts to improve Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) in our community on multiple fronts. As an example of its efforts to improve inclusion (defined as creating a culture where all feel welcome), 2 curated issues of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) have been published in traditional Chinese language (also referred to as Mandarin) and we are actively seeking to publish JWOCN in other languages, including, but not limited to, Spanish, Japanese, and Brazilian Portuguese.
In a meeting of the Editorial Office, Melissa Gonzalez (JWOCN Managing Editor), Dr Janice Beitz, and I discussed an e-mail communication from a reader who alerted us to a prevalent and unconscious bias related to skin color; the assumption that white skin tones are a "standard" and other skin tones are variants of this standard. Skin tone is at the heart of skin and wound care, and JWOCN is officially calling for high-quality articles designed to alert readers to this unconscious bias and to eliminate it. In order to kick-start this series of articles, Dr Janice Beitz contacted Kathleen Francis to write a guest editorial (View From Here) regarding this issue. Kathleen provided a far richer and more powerful response. Her article, which leads this issue of JWOCN and will be accompanied by a infographic feature of key concepts within her article, is a comprehensive review of research recognizing the rich palate of human skin tones, the lack of any standard among this rich palate, challenges identifying erythema and skin damage across the diverse range on human skin tones, and the urgent need for additional education and research. This article is a must read for every member of caring community, and I personally challenge you to submit your work addressing this timely topic!
The role of dressings as a form of pressure injury prevention is rapidly evolving, including the role of prophylactic silicone dressings. Claire Sugrue, Pinar Avsar, Zena Moore, Declan Patton, Tom O'Connor, Linda Nugent, and Aglecia Budri provide a well-written and cutting-edge systematic review and meta-analysis of pooled findings from these studies identifying current best evidence in this area of research and clinical practice. This article also qualifies as a must read for all members of our caring community whose practice involves pressure injury prevention.
This issue's Ostomy Care section focuses on adaptation of the Ostomy Skin Tool (OST) in Brazilian Portuguese. Authored by Maristela Lopes Goncalves Nunes, Lina Martins, and Vera Lucia Conceicao de Gouveia Santos, this article not only describes this group's efforts to adapt this instrument for clinical practice and research in Brazil, it also provides additional validation for this valuable instrument as part of our community's ongoing efforts to champion peristomal skin health.
Zakieh Farmitani, Jamileh Farokhzadian, Mansooreh Azizzadeh Forouzi, Tahereh Ramezani, and Batool Ebrahimnejad Zarandi evaluated the effectiveness of Group Cognitive Therapy (GCT) on hope and happiness in patients with an ostomy. Their work not only highlights an important opportunity for collaboration between WOC nurses and psychologists, it also illustrates the value of group versus one-on-one care for patient living with an ostomy.
This issue's Continence Care section opens with a study authored by Terrie Beeson, Joyce Pittman, and Carmen R. Davis, who evaluated the ability of an external urinary device for female anatomy. Their study not only adds to current knowledge of the role of this type of device in preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), it also provides an objective evaluation of the proportion of urine diverted into a container when the device is in use. Given the ongoing need to measure fluid intake and urinary output in many acutely and critically ill patients, this study is a must read for all WOC nurses practicing in the acute care setting.
I always like to point out the complex and rich intersectionality of various aspects of our practice. The systemic review and meta-analysis, authored by Young Man Kim and Eui Geum Oh, illustrates an essential link between ostomy and continence care. Low anterior resection (LAR) requires creation of a temporary ostomy. Closure of the temporary ostomy is followed by reanastomosis of the gastrointestinal tract, which carries a risk of LAR syndrome (characterized by fecal incontinence, frequent bowel movements, anal urgency, and other symptoms). This systematic review examines the efficacy of pelvic floor muscle training, a core competence of continence specialty practice, on this clinically relevant syndrome.
The issue's Continence Care section provides yet another link between continence and wound care. Carly Lindsay, Lauren Wolfe, Charline Ductan, and Kimberly LeBlanc provide a scoping review of the influence of absorbent products on skin integrity. Though the use of skin care products is highly prevalent among patients with incontinence, our knowledge of their effects on skin integrity (including their ability to prevent skin damage versus the risk for contributing to skin damage) is incomplete. This article is a must read because it reviews current knowledge and provides insights into gaps in our knowledge when persons with incontinence use absorbent products.
This issue's Foot and Nail Care section features yet another crossover in our specialty practice, identification and prompt management of deep tissue pressure injury (DTPI) of the foot and ankle. This article, written by James Canfor, Lucia Michailidis, and Cylie Williams, is must read because it expands our knowledge of this area of care and provides a model for collaborative practice members of our caring community and podiatrists.
This issue's "Challenges in Practice" is authored by Jialiang Zhou, Rong Huang, Ying Zhang, Wuping Ge, Yuanlong Fang, and Xiaochun Zhu. You will want to read this multiple case series that eloquently describes their experiences managing ostomy prolapse in neonates.
As you can see from this Context in Practice, JWOCN continues to strive to bring you cutting-edge and evidence-based information essential to your clinical and professional practice. We continue to strive, now more than ever, to create a space for sharing high-quality research and scholarly work open to all clinicians, researchers, and educators involved in the management of patients with wound, foot & nail, ostomy, and continence issues. I therefore ask each of you to participate in your professional community by sharing a manuscript, writing a letter to the editor, and continuing to read the journal, in print or online.