IN THIS ISSUE OF JWOCN
This issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) introduces the latest in research, quality improvement, and evidence-based practice essential to every clinician providing care to patients with wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care disorders. Authored by a multinational community of authors from North America, Europe, and Korea, this issue of the Journal continues to serve as a global voice for cutting-edge care in our specialty practice (Figure).
Ye-Na Lee and Sung Chung report a study of patients with diabetic foot ulcers using a Q-methodological approach. Q-methodology is a newer research approach to the study of subjectivity. You will want to read this article both to increase your understanding of this novel research technique, to learn more about the subjective experiences of patients when faced with a diabetic foot ulcer, and to more fully appreciate how this knowledge can influence your education and counseling of patients with diabetic foot ulcers.
This issue's Continence Care Section opens with a qualitative study of adult patients' lived experiences with intermittent catheterization. Using an unusually robust sample of 25 individuals from 5 countries in North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, Jimena Goldstine, Rebecca Leece, Salihu Samas, and Rene Zonderland employed a thematic analysis technique to describe the most relevant aspects of life with an intermittent catheterization program. Given the essential nature of long-term adherence for persons managed by intermittent catheterization, this article is a must read for any nurse whose credential includes a "C."
Deborah Jachan, Ursula Muller-Werdan, and Nils Axel Lahmann expand our knowledge of urinary incontinence by reporting findings from their study of the effect of impaired mobility on urinary incontinence in nursing home residents. This multisite study incorporated 30 facilities across the German Republic providing a comprehensive and clinically relevant evaluation of the relationship between mobility and urinary continence, and how nurses and other care providers can bolster or restore continence in nursing home residents with impaired mobility.
Your Continence Care Section closes with the latest in a series of preclinical articles describing laboratory testing for creating and (ultimately) alleviating or blocking odor in patients wearing absorbent incontinence products. As any clinician or human being with the caring nature of a health care provider knows, the odors associated with urinary or fecal incontinence act as a clarion to the presence and incontinence, while promoting it stigmatization. While this research is "preclinical" I strongly argue that its clinical implications are essential to our practice, and I am pleased to see these researchers reaching out to the JWOCN as the premiere publication for all things related to continence care.
This issue's Ostomy Section includes findings from an International Consensus Panel that comprised globally known clinicians and researchers including Janice Colwell (Ostomy Section Editor for the JWOCN), Kimberly Bain, Anne Hansen, Werner Droste, Grethe Vendelbo, and Sarah James-Reid, who promulgate best practices for selecting a pouching system. You will want to read this timely best practice guideline that includes invaluable insights concerning assessment of body and stoma profiles essential to selecting the right ostomy pouching system for the right patient.
Kimberly LeBlanc, Corey Heerschap, Lina Martins, Britney Butt, Samantha Wiesenfield, and Kevin Woo report findings of a national study of the individual economic impact of an ostomy on persons living in Canada. I personally applaud this blue-ribbon research group for undertaking this study and for the powerful evidence it provides concerning the influence of seeking care from a Nurse Specialized on Wound, Ostomy and Continence.
Your Wound Care Section opens with a study reporting reliability of augmented reality glasses (ARG) for telehealth-based delivery of wound care. Authored by Jennifer Kaylor, Vallire Hooper, Angela Wilson, Randy Burkert, Marlena Lyda, Kristie Fletcher, and Emily Bowers, this study reports intra- and interrater reliability among WOC nurses using telehealth when delivering wound care. Given the significant challenges of differential diagnosis of various wounds or other forms of skin damage the WOC nurses must make on a daily basis, the search for assistive technology is critical and I personally applaud Kaylor's group for exploring the possible role of ARG technology. Want to read more about the use of novel technologies for assessment of wounds and skin damage? Look no further than the cutting-edge articles from Owen and colleagues,1 who reported use of alternative light source technology to enhance visual skin assessment, or Bates-Jensen and coworkers,2 who reported use of a subepidermal moisture detector to differentiate pressure injury from moisture-associated skin damage in patients with darker skin tone, an ongoing challenge to wound and continence care.
Manuela Hoedl, Doris Eglseer, and Christa Lohrmann report outcomes of their quality improvement project that examined structure, process and quality improvement indicators for pressure injury prevention and treatment programs in 37 acute care facilities in Austria. This article qualifies as must read for every WOC nurse, changes with developing or maintaining a similar program in their country.
Ihn Sook Jeong, Min Ji Kim, Jeong Mi Jang, Hye Kyung Kim, and Hyun Ju Heo report an epidemiologic study of medical adhesive use and medical adhesive-related skin injury (MARSI) incidence in critically ill children. You will want to read this article to enhance your awareness of the frequency that medical adhesive devices are used in this vulnerable population, and the incidence and characteristics of MARSI.
This issue's Challenges in Practice articles also focus on wound care. Catherine Ratliff (Ostomy Section Editor for the JWOCN) reports an unusual case of pyoderma gangrenosum in a surgical incision. You will want to read more about this provocative case to improve your overall knowledge of this uncommon and painful autoimmune dermatosis and its rare occurrences in postoperative surgical incisions.
Many readers will be familiar with the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel's document on friction forces on skin health and integrity3 documented in Christine Berke's landmark multiple case series describing the clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and management of friction skin injuries.4 In her new article in this issue, Berke compares and contrasts a case of an acute friction skin injury and a deep tissue pressure injury. Her lucid comparison of similarities (particularly in clinical manifestations) versus differences (particularly in natural history, pathology, and pathophysiology) is a must read for every wound care clinician regardless of practice setting, credentialing, or location.
In addition to this library of articles, you will want to read the special features and regularly appearing columns of the JWOCN that are packed with new data and unique synthesis of current best evidence. In this issue's Getting Ready for Certification, WOCNCB Board Member Donna Thompson presents practice questions for a certification examination, along with discussion of the correct answer and distractors in the area of bowel management. In this issue's NSWOCC column, Kevin Woo, Will Mueller, and Ali Etemad report preliminary findings of their work with dermoscopic evaluation of skin frailty. Do you want a common source for all the latest for your specialty practice, at your fingertips, look no further than the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing!
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