IN THIS ISSUE OF JWOCN
As I write this editorial for the November/December and final issue of the Journal of Wound, Ostomy, and Continence Nursing (JWOCN) for year 2020, I remain acutely aware of our ongoing struggle to create a new normal as we move beyond a truly extraordinary and distressing year as a specialty care community and members of a local, regional, national, and ultimately global community. Throughout 2020, the JWOCN has continued to provide you with the latest research, evidence, and best practice in the wound, ostomy, continence, and foot and nail care, bolstered by article reflecting the professional practice, sociocultural, and economic issues that create the context for delivering care to our vulnerable patients. As part of this ongoing commitment to serve as the preferred provider for WOC/Foot and Nail specialty care, the JWOCN continues to act as a global venue for disseminating the new knowledge and synthesizing current evidence that shapes our specialty practice. As concrete evidence for this commitment, I draw your attention to the Figure that illustrates the global community of authors publishing in this issue of JWOCN.
This issue's Ostomy Care section opens with an article from Leslie Riggle Miller that examines patient experiences immediately prior to and following surgical creation of an ostomy. This article qualifies as must read for every WOC nurse because it represents a unique perspective, whether current care meets the standards of the United Ostomy Associations of America (UOAA) Patient Bill of Rights. This document, recently updated and revitalized by the UOAA, outlines expectations for professional care for persons living with an ostomy, from just prior creation of the ostomy to ongoing care long after creation of a stoma. In addition to reading this landmark article in ostomy care, you will want to read JWOCN Section Editor Jan Colwell's commentary and contemplate how this affects your practice, along with your facility's policies and protocols.
Juliano Moraes, Eline Borges, Carolina Santos, Magda da-Silva, and Francisco de-Sa investigated the prevalence of anxiety and depression in adults with ostomies and associated factors. You will want to read this article to enhance your knowledge of the frequency and severity of these psychosocial triggers and their influence on the care you deliver to patients with an ostomy.
This issue's Continence Care section presents the latest in the growing library of the WOCN Society's clinical decision-making support tools (algorithms) for WOC specialty care. The algorithm and this article fill an important gap in care in the acute and critical cares settings: how we can guide and provide optimal bladder (lower urinary tract) and incontinence management for patients following removal of the indwelling urinary catheter. Terrie Beeson, Dea Kent, Dianne Mackey, Laurie McNichol, Donna Thompson, Sandra Engberg, and I report on the construction of the iPCaRe clinical decision-making support tool; Read the article and be sure to view and use this invaluable resource when caring for or establishing policies for the care of these patients.
This issue's Foot and Nail Care section discusses the phenomenon of COVID toes, and their implications for Foot and Nail specialty care. Authored by Section Editor Dr Tara Beuscher and Sarah Andrews, this must-read article reflects the latest addition to the JWOCN growing library of resources for Foot and Nail Care and for every member of our specialty practice community providing care in the face of this ongoing and truly global pandemic. Read the article and complete the accompanying CE activity to enhance the scope of your knowledge and effectiveness of your practice!
In addition to this COVID-related Foot and Nail Care section, this issue of JWOCN contains the last of our special section focusing on the pandemic, its impact on, and implications for our specialty practice community. Michelle Pacis, Annielyn Azor-Ocampo, Emily Burnett, Chutiwan Tanasapphaisal, and Bernice Coleman report on their investigation examining dressings used to protect the skin of health care workers facing long-term use of personal protective equipment to prevent transmission of the coronavirus. This special section also contains a View From Here authored by Drs Teresa Kelechi, Phyllis Bonham, and I that discusses essential skills and knowledge you will need as we move into practice in 2021 and beyond.
I am continually reminded how much of our specialty practice is guided by the "Goldilocks' Principle" (not too cold, not too hot, it must be just right). This issue's Wound Care section opens with an Evidence Based Report Card that reviews and synthesizes literature related to wound pain and biomarkers signaling wound healing. Authored by Taichi Goto and Leorey Saligan, this scoping review summarizes efforts to move practice forward from purely qualitative assessments of wound healing to a quantifiable evaluation of wound exudate via measurable biomarkers signaling wound healing. I urge you to read this timely article, complete the attached CE activity, and remain vigilant to progress in this important trend in chronic wound care.
Jessica Vickery, Lauren Compton, Jackie Allard, Terrie Beeson, Joycelyn Howard, and Joyce Pittman provide guidelines for pressure injury prevention and related care in the patient who is actively dying. Much has been written about the concept of "skin failure" and pressure injury near end of life. This article takes the next step, providing guidance for identification of the critical concepts of end of life, palliative care, actively dying the pressure injury prevention and/or comfort measures when managing these vulnerable patients.
Chunhua Gao, Chao Yu, Xiuxi Lin, Hui Wang, and Yunyun Sheng measure the incidence of medical adhesive related skin injuries (MARSI) and risk factors in critically ill patients. Traditionally accepted as an inevitable consequence of care, MARSI is now recognized as a clinically relevant quality indicator of preventive skin care. You will want to read this lucid article that provides important knowledge of the epidemiology of this clinically relevant and usually avoidable form of skin damage.
Pressure injury prevention is a fundamental goal of WOC specialty care, and a research report from Domenica Gazineo, Matteo Chiarabelli, Rosanna Cirone, Paolo Chiari, and Elisa Ambrosi compares the efficacy of a multi-layer polyurethane foam dressing to standard pressure injury preventive interventions for sacral pressure injuries in older patients with hip fractures. Read this clinically relevant and lucid study to determine whether use of topical dressings for pressure injury prevention is right for your practice and your facility's ongoing pressure injury prevention program.
This issue's Clinical Challenges section opens with a case study from Dr Vita Boyar, a neonatologist and frequent contributor to JWOCN. She reports a case study describing use of a cryopreserved human umbilical cord and amniotic membrane allograft and portable negative pressure wound therapy for management of a dehisced giant omphalocele repair. Care of neonatal and pediatric patients is an essential component of WOC specialty care and this article adds important knowledge for these youngest of our patients.
This issue's Getting Ready for Certification section provides information and practice questions related to assessment and management of lower extremity venous disease. Authored by Holly Hovan and Jessica Simmons, I advise you to read the content, answer the practice questions, and rest assured that your certification remains an essential, living and breathing public testament to your knowledge, expertise and ability to deliver effective care to patients with this prevalent and chronic condition.
This issue's NSWOCC section comprises an important View from Here from Corey Heerschap and Kimberly LeBlanc concerning the WOC care needs among long-term care facility residents in the province of Ontario, Canada. The relevance of this content to NSWOCC colleagues is apparent, but I also argue its relevance to readers in the United States as we face chronic challenges in delivery of high quality WOC care to long-term care facility residents exacerbated by the acute crisis of the COVID pandemic.
Finally, this issue contains an important and thought-provoking View From Here from Evidence Based Report Care Section Editor Dr Carolyn Crumley concerning the benefits of volunteerism in your processional society. Volunteerism is a core value of the WOCN Society and a lifeline for the Society's present and future. I strongly encourage you to read this important message and move toward your personal journey to shaping your professional society!