A major challenge of 21st-century wound, ostomy and continence (WOC) and foot care (FC) nursing is incorporating evidence generated from cutting-edge research into practice, education, and health care policy. The days of completely sustaining our practice from school education and its related clinical exposure are a thing of the past. The WOCNCB(R)-certified WOC and FC nurse holds to high standards of professional accountability; this commitment includes the ability to critically evaluate and synthesize specialty research data so the evidence evolves our daily specialty practice to its utmost unique potential. The WOCNCB(R)-certified specialty nurse cohort also depends upon the practice evidence to ensure that our specialty education programs continue to prepare the WOC nurses of tomorrow with the necessary didactic knowledge and clinical skills. Evidence-based specialty care is a powerful tool to impact health care delivery by educating legislative decision makers on the best possible outcomes for our patients. Evidence-based practice is a way to bridge the knowledge and practice gap between research and the bedside. The end result is that our patients obtain the best possible WOC and FC nursing care.

The need to incorporate evidence into our professional lives is clear, but the way to do so is not as clear. In a 2004 Australian study, barriers to implementing evidence-based practice were identified. Hutchinson and Johnson1 identified that the greatest obstacles to research utilization were time constraints, lack of awareness of available literature, insufficient authority to impact practice, inadequate skills to critically appraise research findings, and the availability of colleague support. In this study, the authors noted the universal similarities around the world. In 2005, Pravikoff and colleagues2 identified that US nurses clearly identified the need for practice information, but felt more comfortable asking peers rather than evaluating the evidence themselves. Do these barriers still exist? In a recent study reporting compliance to evidence-based guidelines for contact precautions, researchers compared practice patterns of a large Magnet-designated academic medical center to a small community medical center. They found that hand hygiene compliance before glove application was equally low at both institutions.3

WOCNCB(R)-certified nurses are well acquainted with the importance of using evidence in their everyday practice. WOCN-accredited WOC programs have long based their curriculums on cutting-edge practice based on the latest and strongest evidence. The WOCN Society provides outstanding educational opportunities and resources for its members through its annual conference, Web site, guidelines and best practice documents, and the well-respected Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing. Furthermore, WOCNCB(R) certification exam items are critically evaluated by a committee of peers to ensure that items are applicable to practice and based upon available evidence. WOC and FC practice is and continues to be strongly rooted in the evidence.

The WOCNCB(R) recognized the hunger of its certificants for the evidence, and that many barriers continue to exist for easy access to the most recent practice and research evidence. In 2007, we pulled together a committee of experts to form the Evidence Base Practice Committee. The charge of this committee was to review literature pertinent to WOC nursing in order to produce a summary document our certificants could use in their daily practice, as well as provide our exam committee evidence-based practice information to develop exam items. The first "Review of the Evidence for WOC Nursing Practice" was published in 2009 and reflected the hard work of review and summary of key evidence to the specialty. The document was formatted to provide a concise summary of practice implications with the relevant citations. It was an immediate success! Since that time we have produced a summary every year and now celebrate our fifth anniversary issue.

The mission of the WOCNCB(R) is to promote the highest standard of consumer care and safety by providing credentialing in WOC and FC nursing. Safe and high-quality WOC nursing practice means a commitment to basing our practice on the evidence. With that in mind, the WOCNCB(R) is proud to once again produce "Review of the 2012 Evidence for WOC and Foot Care Nursing Practice."

Sincerely,

Donna L. Thompson, MSN, CRNP-BC, CCCN-AP

President, WOCNCB(R)

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