WOUND ASSESSMENT AND DOCUMENTATION

Wound assessments provide the foundation of the plan of care and are t he only means of determining the effectiveness of the interventions. R egular reassessments may motivate patients and caregivers and will hel p clinicians develop a treatment outcome data base. While research wil l continue to try to answer remaining questions related to the appropr iateness, validity and reliability of commonly used methods, existing knowledge can be applied in the clinic. in so doing, health care profe ssionals will not only provide optimal patient care, but can also cont ribute to the accumulation of much needed outcome data on wound care.