English
It is important to observe and document changes that take place in the wound. You should report conditions that have changed in the wound.
When assessing a wound you should clearly describe what you observe and clearly document any changes to the wound. The wound assessment documentation should include wound type, stage of healing, size, depth, exudates amount and appearance, the surrounding skin appearance, pain and patient psychological state. The wound care plan should set clear goals and interventions that are regularly evaluated according to local wound care policy. To maximise optimal wound healing requires the collaboration of the rest of the multi-disciplinary team.
Anyone with a chronic wound should be assessed by a tissue viability nurse specialist. It is important to remember that we are not treating a wound on a patient, but a patient with a wound. In other words ‘it is not the hole in the patient we treat, but the whole patient.
