Guest Editorial: Bringing Evidence-based Wound Research to the Bedside

  Chronic non-healing wounds are a major challenge in patient care. It is becoming increasingly clear that the incidence of chronic wounds cannot be reduced without interdisciplinary teams comprised of members who seek to ensure that research findings are successfully implemented in quality clinical care. The scope of such teams need not be limited to the usual clinician players; the contributions of electrical engineers, polymer scientists, and other non-medical researchers can factor greatly in wound care issues.   The inaugural conference, Evidence-based Practice in Wound Care, held in Cleveland, Ohio in September 2006 was developed as an independent, non-promotional scientific and educational venue to highlight the continuum from basic science to clinical application in this field – ie, the realities of “from bench to bedside” in wound care. The conference mission was to address the current gap between evidence-based approaches to wound care and the reality of practice by bringing together a multidisciplinary faculty of clinicians and researchers to present their work to a participatory audience including scientists, biomedical engineers, nurses, occupational therapists, physical therapists, podiatrists, and physicians. Expert speakers addressed the development of novel wound therapies and new models for delivery of clinical treatment.

  This special issue of Ostomy Wound Management provides a selection of these presentations. The role of deep tissue injury is evaluated through examination of several research models by Dan Berlowitz, MD, MPH, and Laura Edsberg, PhD. Steven Reger, PhD, CP, urges closer examination of the microenvironment when developing methods to improve chronic wound prevention and treatment. The development and implementation of a program to provide standardized, evidence-based wound care for veterans with diabetic foot ulcers is described by Gayle Reiber, PhD, MPH. Models of clinical care and the challenges of translating research findings to evidence-based clinical practice are presented by Kath Bogie, DPhil, and Chester H. Ho, MD. These papers draw attention to the research investigating the causes of pressure ulcers and the challenges of bringing these developments to where it is needed – the patient.

  Ostomy Wound Management is grateful to the editors and contributors for taking the time to re-engineer their presentations into articles. Their thoughtful, forward-thinking concepts regarding origin, assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention provide the foundation and impetus for additional study that will enhance understanding of the multiconsiderational phenomenon that is the chronic wound.

This article was not subject to the Ostomy Wound Management peer-review process.

Learning objectives

  After studying these articles, the reader should be able to:
    • Identify the latest evidence-based therapeutic approaches in the field of wound care
    • Describe the latest evidence-based applications of the preventive healthcare model to wound care
    • Discuss the role of multidisciplinary teams in ensuring quality wound care
    • Identify factors include in comprehensive quality care programs that have a positive impact on quality of life for individuals at risk for chronic wounds.