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Wound assessment has developed into a specialized and complex area j of nursing practice. Care plans and interventions are based on the initial I assessment, which must therefore be accurate and clearly documented to support correct ongoing wound care and patient management. It is vital that the underlying and contributing patient factors to both wound development and healing, delayed healing or non-healing are considered throughout the process. Evaluation of interventions must be regular and consistent. This article will discuss the importance of holistic and collaborative assessment for the patient with a wound, exploring factors affecting healing and considerations to be made on initial and continous levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This literature review is part of a larger dissertation project that explores the lived experience of patients using long-term urinary catheters and nurses' attitudes towards urinary catheters. Systematic examination of the literature revealed six relevant primary research studies. These were critically appraised to assess their worth. Further studies were also reviewed, although these were often from neighbouring fields as relatively little research has been undertaken in this field. Findings suggest that there is a disparity between the care that nurses provide to patients with long-term catheters and the holistic care that patients need. Furthermore, nurses' decision-making skills are hampered by poor multidisciplinary documentation practices in the acute sector. It is concluded that nurses' attitudes towards urinary catheters do affect the care that patients receive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that nurse documentation is often inconsistent and lacks a coherent and standardized approach. This article reports on research into the use of nurse documentation on a stoma care ward in a large London hospital, and explores the factors that may affect the process of record keeping by nursing staff. This study uses stoma care as a case study to explore the role of documentation on the ward, focusing on how this can be improved. It is based on quantitative and qualitative methods. The medical notes of 56 patients were analysed and in addition, focus groups with a number of nurses were undertaken. Quantitative findings indicate that although 80% of patients had a chart filed in their medical notes, only a small portion of the form was completed by nursing staff. Focus group findings indicate that this is because forms lacked standardization and because the language used was often ambiguous. Staff also felt that such documentation was not viewed by other nurses and so, was not effective in improving patient care. As a result of this study, significant improvements have been made to documentation used on the stoma care ward. This is an important exploration of record keeping within nursing in the context of the Nursing and Midwifery Council's emphasis on the importance of documentation in achieving effective patient outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]