IN THIS ISSUE OF JWOCN
The January/February 2020 issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) offers you the latest, cutting-edge knowledge in all areas of our specialty practice (chronic wounds, ostomies, urinary or fecal incontinence, and foot and nail care). The Figure illustrates the global community of authors publishing in the premier journal for wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care: JWOCN!
This issue's Continence Care Section opens with a report of a quality improvement project that evaluated the introduction of a suction, female external collection device for bladder management as an alternative to indwelling catheterization in adult females. Authored by Lorena Eckert, Lisa Mattia, Shilla Patel, Rowena Okumura, Priscilla Reynolds, and Ingrid Stuiver, this article emphasizes the clinical utility of what I believe is a revolutionary technology, and this article easily qualifies as must read for every WOC nurse practicing in acute care, and the rapidly growing postacute care area.
In addition to this platform article, Paul van Houten, Diane Newman, Helle Wijk, Barbara Koehler, Andrew Costa, and Edward Hutt report initial development of a toileting and containment decision support tool for toileting and containment product use in patients with urinary or fecal incontinence. Designed for the nonspecialist nurse, you will want to read how this group designed and continues to develop this clinically relevant aid to continence care.
This Issue's Ostomy Care Section opens with an epidemiologic study of stoma-related complications in 3 acute care facilities in the United Kingdom-Scotland. This clinically relevant study compares complication rates in individuals undergoing planned versus emergent ostomy surgery. Read more to determine whether these findings concur with or challenge your experience with your patients undergoing ostomy surgery. Mansoure Farahani, Safoura Dorri, and Fatemeh Yousefi report construction and validation of a multimedia educational program for persons with fecal ostomies. You will want to read this thoughtful and useful approach to the persistent need for effective and timely ostomy self-management education in a world that is increasingly driven by online technology delivered via social media.
Your Ostomy Care Section closes with a research report from Serap Sayar and Fatma Vural, who interpreted the Pittman Ostomy Severity Index into the Turkish language while extending its content validity and interrater reliability for identifying prevalent complications in patients with new ostomies. Read more to determine whether this instrument might be of value when caring for your facility's patients.
This issue's Wound Care Section opens with an incredibly timely report from Janet Ramundo, Sara Coverstone, David R. Crumbley, Donna Geiger, Irene Jankowski, Deborah Ritter, Shannon Smith, and Angel Sutton, who report on the impact of the Wound Treatment Associate (WTA) Education Program on knowledge and practice related to wound care. This article qualifies as must read for every clinician seeking to understand how these individuals fit into and enhance an interdisciplinary wound care approach under the leadership of an interdisciplinary team of clinical experts including a WOC nurse.
Barbara Pieper, Joanne Sobeck, Linda Kaljee, and Thomas N. Templin report findings from a descriptive study of the knowledge and behaviors related to systemic antibiotic use in adults with wounds. This article easily qualifies as must read in this era of rapidly evolving bacterial resistance to available antibiotics, intensifying the demand for judicious and evidence-based antibiotic stewardship for all WOC nurses and other clinicians caring for patients with wounds.
In addition to these cutting-edge reports on WTA education and antibiotic use in patients with chronic wounds, Tian Dai, Limin Lv, Xiaojuan Liu, Jin Chen, Yalan Ye, and Lixuan Xu report findings from an epidemiologic study of cutaneous and mucosal injuries of the nose in neonates managed by nasal continuous positive airway pressure. You will want to read this disruptive article to determine whether use of a foam barrier dressing is indicated for prevention of these medical device-related pressure injuries and mucosal injuries in this vulnerable population despite concerns related to air leakage when barrier dressings are used in this population.
In this issue's Foot and Nail Care Section, Fotini Laopoulou, Martha Kelesi, Georgia Fasoi, Georgios Vasilopoulos, and Maria Polikandrioti report a study of social support among patients with diabetic foot ulcers. This article provides important new knowledge that lies at the heart of Foot and Nail Care specialty practice nursing and is an essential contribution to this newest platform section of the JWOCN.
This issue's Clinical Challenges Section opens with a description of management of wound dehiscence in an abdominal wound that involved a recently revised ostomy. Authored by Ismail Bilgin, Mustafa Bas, Sehri Demir, Eren Esen, Ebru K[latin dotless i]rb[latin dotless i]y[latin dotless i]k, Afag Aghayeva, Volkan Ozben, Erman Aytac, Bilgi Baca, Ismail Hamzaoglu, and Tayfun Karahasanoglu, this fascinating case study provides multiple insights into the inextricable ties within our specialty-in this case the integration of wound and ostomy care essential to caring for this vulnerable patient.
This issue's Second Challenges describes a multiple case series that illustrates the potential for a portable ultrasound system for management of chronic and severe constipation in an older adult. This article qualifies as must read due to the insights it provides into differential care of patients with functional constipation, and the increasing need for incorporation of imaging technology into routine continence care.
Finally, this issue's Getting Ready for Certification feature article, authored by Cathy Wogaman and Clay Collins, provides practice questions designed to aid nurses preparing the WOCNCB's certification in foot and nail care. Read on to help you prepare for certification as a foot and nail care nurse, or if considering recertification by examination.