Change Project

Wound Care
Name
Institution

Wound Care
Clinical Question
For patients with recurrent wound infections, is ultrasound a better method of assessment compared to Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool?
The care and management of wound infections is a crucial care component in the hospital setting, for it is applicable in the obstetrics unit, surgical unit and the situation of patients with ordinary wounds as well as those suffering from ulcers. It is thus critical to have a well-developed management plan for any wound infections. The need for proper management leads to the development of the clinical question above; to ascertain which among the two assessments methods provides a reliable assessment from which one can draw a befitting conclusion that will lead to the most effective diagnosis and treatment.
Stephen-Haynes (2011) acknowledges leg ulcers as a major concern and a costly clinical problem both regarding treatment and its requirement of trained practice nurses and special wound care supplies. The clinical question under discussion here holds a lot of importance in lowering the economic burden of such infections, primarily by providing certainty on the preferable assessment method to use. Such confidence also lowers the probability of wounds spreading, which eventually limits the level of tissue damage, as well as the extent of pain or trauma inflicted on the patient. This question, therefore, comes in critical as a contribution towards the identification of the most reliable assessment tool for chronic wounds and leg ulcers.

According to Cullum and Liu (2017), ultrasound makes a useful assessment method for ulcer associated wounds, but it does not explore the fluid of the infection and the associated pain.
Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool (BWAT), on the other hand, covers broader aspects of wound infection, including the size, depth, edema, epithelisation, induration and skin colour (Viswanath, Prasad, Ravindra & Arun, 2015). This diverse inspection makes it easier to determine the appropriate level of care by assessing the severity of a wound and tracking the progress of wound healing.
References
Cullum, N., &Liu, Z. (2017). Therapeutic ultrasound for venous leg ulcers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Issue 5. Art. No.: CD001180. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001180.pub4.
Stephen-Haynes, J. (2011). Management of leg ulcers. Practice Nurse, 41(13), 26-27
Viswanath, A., Prasad, B., Ravindra, G., & Arun G. (2015). Effectiveness of low-intensity laser therapy on the wound healing using Bates Jensen Wound Assessment Tool in subjects with pressure ulcers. International Journal Of Physiotherapy, Vol 2, Iss 2, Pp 416-420 (2015), (2), 416. doi:10.15621/ijphy/2015/v2i2/65251