In This Issue of JWOCN

This issue opens with a Special Focus section that contains 3 articles highlighting skin and wound care in neonates and infants. Lynn Mohr, Roxana Reyna, and Rene Amaya report outcomes of a case series of 3 neonates who were managed with active leptospermum honey for wounds of varying etiologies. You will want to read this article to determine whether this ancient wound treatment should be a component of your care of neonates with differing types of wound.

This Special Focus section also features 2 Clinical Challenges feature articles on WOC nursing management of neonates. Bette Schumacher and Amanda O'Neil describe the case of a neonate with a medical adhesive-related skin injury (epidermal stripping) associated with the use of a temperature-monitoring probe. This article qualifies as must read not only because it discusses an emerging type of wound experienced by patients of all ages (medical adhesive-related skin injury), but also because it applies principles of care to this vulnerable population.

Rosie Argo describes the case of a neonate with necrotizing enteritis resulting in a colostomy. You will want to read this article to gain further insights into the management of both wound and ostomy care in this extremely complex neonate.

Lower urinary tract symptoms of urgency (a sudden desire to urinate that cannot be deferred) and urge incontinence are closely associated with overactive (premature or involuntary) detrusor contractions.1 While this relationship is well established, the underlying causes of overactive bladder are not. Current treatments focus on the bladder itself, including antimuscarinics, botulinum toxin A, and [beta]-3 agonists.2 However, many continence and WOC nurses have observed that multiple triggers other than a full bladder lead to urgency and urge incontinence. In 2012, Victor and colleagues3 published results of a pilot study evaluating cues to urgency and urge incontinence episodes. In this issue's Continence Care section, Katherine O'Connell, Alex Torstrick, and Elizabeth Victor have published a more definitive follow-up to that pilot study. This article qualifies as must read for any WOC or continence nurse interested in understanding the underlying causes of these episodes and designing behaviorally based interventions for this prevalent form of urinary incontinence.

The second article in this issue's Continence Care section, written by Chunlan Jin, Xinyao Zhou, and Ran Pang, focuses on electroacupuncture and tolterodine (an antimuscarinic) for treating mixed urinary incontinence. You will want to read this article to explore yet another innovative treatment approach to overactive bladder.

This issue's Ostomy Care section opens with an article from David Forrester, Janet Doyle-Munoz, Toni McTigue, Stephanie D'Andrea, and Angela Natale-Ryan that summarizes results from a grant funded by the WOCN Center for Clinical Investigation for a randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of chewing gum on postoperative ileus. You will want to read this article to determine whether chewing gum is an effective method of reducing the duration of ileus or preventing this prevalent postoperative complication.

Catherine Ratliff authored the second article in this issue's Ostomy Care section that investigates factors related to leakage in a group of patient with new stomas. This article, funded by the WOCN Center for Clinical Investigation's Hollister grant, will interest any WOC nurse faced with enabling a patient to adjust to a new fecal or urinary ostomy. You will also want to read the CAET Feature section in this issue that summarizes an exciting initiative to ensure that every person undergoing ostomy surgery in Ontario, Canada, receives preoperative ostomy education and stoma site marking. This feature provides invaluable insights for every WOC nurse interested in increasing the number of patients receiving these essential WOC services.

Ascension Gomez, Susana Barbera, Maria Lombrana, Laura Izquierdo, and Carmen Banos report a study of health-related quality of life in patients with new urostomies. You will want to read this study to learn more about adjustment to a urostomy and to find even more evidence supporting the essential role of the WOC nurse in managing this complex group of patients.

This issue's Wound Care section opens with a systematic literature review of vacuum-assisted closure in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers, by Alan Guffanti. This article qualifies as must read for every WOCN or wound care nurse managing these prevalent and difficult wounds.

Jeremy Honaker, Dorothy Brockopp, and Krista Moe describe the development and psychometric evaluation of the Honaker Suspected Deep Tissue Injury Severity Scale. You will want to read this article to determine if this instrument should be incorporated into your pressure ulcer detection and prevention practice.

Rose Ekama Ilesanmi and Prisca Olabisi report results of a study describing pressure ulcer prevention practices in Nigeria. You will want to read this article not only to familiarize yourself with practices among colleagues in northwestern Africa but also to gain insights into the dissemination of evidence-based practice throughout the world.

Finally, in this issue's Getting Ready for Certification feature article, Lea Crestodina, Lynda Bickerstaff, Lea Ann Maki, and Kay Durkop-Scott discuss selecting between options when facing a difficult question on a certification test item. While all certification examinations share the ultimate goal of ensuring knowledge within a specialty practice context, this article qualifies as must read because of the invaluable insights and advice we all face when attempting to deal with that difficult question or when our ability to select the correct answer remains elusive.

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