IN THIS ISSUE OF JWOCN
The term "big data" may be defined in multiple ways, but the core concept, analysis of data from electronic databases with large numbers of observations, is a powerful tool that is increasingly moving within the grasp of larger numbers of researchers. I am pleased to see researchers from our caring community increasingly analyzing and gaining clinically relevant knowledge from these databases, and this issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) is no exception!
Your Wound Care section opens with a research article authored by Jill Cox, Laura Edsberg, Kimberly Koloms, and Catherine VanGilder, who report findings from their analysis of data from the International Pressure Ulcer Prevention (IPUP) database related to pressure injuries in critical care. This study analyzes cutting-edge data from more than 41,000 critically ill patients within a group of more than 296,000 patients participating in this vibrant and ongoing database. It more than qualifies as must read for every WOC and wound care nurse caring for critically ill patients.
Laura Monahan, Meng Zhao, Michael Monahan, Katelijne Acker, and Mary Sandrik report on shadowing their experiences in a quality improvement project where 49 medical residents (training through the Family and Internal Medicine Departments) shadowed CWOCNs (certified WOC nurses) for 16 hours. Despite even this brief exposure, resident participants gained greater knowledge and skills participating in an interdisciplinary team caring for patients with WOC needs. Their article is a powerful reminder of the importance of the need to actively participate in mentoring to all members of the interdisciplinary team and especially WOC nurses seeking to join our caring community!
Lauren Powell, Elisa Winn, Emily Andersen, and Andrea Pozez report a must read study evaluating the effectiveness of a comprehensive and interdisciplinary wound care team on pressure injury occurrences in an academic public hospital system. You will want to read this article and determine whether you wish to create a similar group in your facility.
Daniel Gibson compares the performance 3 foams either used or under consideration for use in vacuum-assisted negative pressure wound therapy. While JWOCN has always been a primarily clinical journal, we have published and will continue to publish selected studies related to the technology that drives the products essential to our practice. You will want to read this article, authored by Daniel Gibson, to gain insights into ongoing investigation into the potential use of a newer foam in this foundational technology supporting wound care.
In this issue's Ostomy Care section, Joyce Pittman, Janice Colwell, and Madhuri Mulekar report findings from a particularly timely study of ostomy belts and garments. This article not only easily qualifies as must read, it also serves as an example the kind of foundational work needed to develop the evidence base supporting even the most basic interventions WOC nurses use when caring for patients with an ostomy.
This issue's Continence Care section opens with an important instrument development report from Michelle Barakat-Johnson, Dimitri Beeckman, Jill Campbell, Ann Marie Dunk, Michelle Lai, John Stephenson, and Fiona Coyer, who report on development of the Know IAD. This novel instrument was designed to measure clinician knowledge of incontinence-associated dermatitis, a prevalent form of moisture-associated skin damage (MASD). The implications of this instrument reach beyond the research setting and into daily clinical practice when WOC nurses seek to educate and change practice related to this clinically relevant and prevalent form of irritant contact dermatitis.
Your Continence Care section also includes an important study from Yan Luo, Ping Zou, Kai Wang, Xiaomei Li, and Jing Wang, who report on the prevalence and risk factors associated with urinary incontinence among rural Chinese persons. You will want to read this research report to gain new knowledge related to the epidemiology and risk factors for incontinence in this often-underserved population.
In this issue's Foot and Nail Care section, Section Editor Tara Beuscher provides a Clinical Practice Alert outlining best practices related to shoe selection.
This issue's Clinical Challenges article, authored by Sue Creehan and Joyce Black, is one of the most impactful articles published in this section of the Journal. The authors not only report on several timely and complex cases of surgery-related pressure injuries, they also provide an essential path forward toward prevention of pressure injuries in this vulnerable population and masterful insights into ensuring involvement of colleagues practicing in the surgical suite!
Finally, this issue provides the second in a series of articles focusing on the newest codes to the ICD-10-CM related to MASD. This Clinical Practice Alert provides the new codes, a brief summary of their most relevant clinical manifestations, and photographic examples of each of these important forms of MASD. Whether you are a provider (APRN) or a specialist in WOC nursing, you will want to familiarize yourself with the language used in these codes to bolster and achieve deserved recognition for your ongoing efforts for prevention and management of these forms of MASD! Authored by Donna Bliss, Laurie McNichol, Donna Cartwright, and Mikel Gray I personally assure you that the information in this Clinical Practice Alert is relevant to your practice!