Wound Assessment

Course Overview

Understanding wound assessment is fundamental for healthcare professionals. Nearly half-a-million Australians are affected by wounds in some form, which places strain on patients as well as the healthcare system.

Topics

• Characteristics of a comprehensive wound assessment
• Standards for wound management
• Measuring wound dimensions
• Evaluating wound progress

Need

A comprehensive assessment of wound characteristics is a fundamental component of wound management. A thorough, systematic wound assessment is essential to clinical decision-making in relation to aetiology and severity. It is the basis upon which treatments and wound dressings are determined and allows progress to be measured. In addition, health professionals are required to assess and record wound characteristics, but often have not received formal training regarding how to do this, resulting in varied and sometimes inaccurate assessments.

A systematic, standardised wound assessment promotes reliability and confidence, leading to better decision-making in wound management and, ultimately, improved outcomes for patients.

Purpose

This Ausmed Course provides registered nurses and other healthcare professionals with current knowledge and skills in regards to assessment of wounds.

Learning Outcomes

• Carry out a comprehensive wound assessment with greater confidence to provide optimal patient care.
• Differentiate between types of wounds in order to ensure management and treatments are individualised for each person.
• Evaluate wound dimensions and progress through effective assessment and documentation.

Target Audience

This Ausmed Course is relevant to registered nurses and other health professionals working in all clinical areas in which wound assessment skills are required.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educator

Melinda Brooks View profile

Melinda Brooks is a nurse practitioner specialising in wound management. She has lectured at both Monash University and La Trobe University in wound care and is a current member of the Wounds Australia Education Pillar. Melinda is passionate about providing advanced education to healthcare professionals from her sphere of expertise.