Nursing assessment of the skin and dermatologic lesions.

An accurate assessment of the skin and dermatologic lesions depends on the nurse, who is directly involved with patient care. However, demands of new technology, which supports an increasingly debilitated and aged patient population, makes it more difficult for the nurse to meet high standards of skin maintenance at a time when it should be a priority. Nursing assessment skills need not be extensive but confined to descriptively brief and familiar terms. Basic knowledge of the most common skin lesions allows the nurse to document in accurate and concise terms instead of nondescript generalizations, such as "rash."