Outcomes Associated With Wound Care Nurses' Practice for the Management of Venous Leg Ulcers: A Scoping Review.

INTRODUCTION

The role of the wound care nurse is identified as a key element in the management of patients with venous leg ulcers (VLUs). However, the literature offers fragmented knowledge of the outcomes associated with their practice.

AIMS: To identify, summarize, and map all available evidence based on the wound care nurses practice for the treatment of VLUs.

METHODS

A scoping review was conducted in May 2024 on PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases. Observational or experimental studies related to patients affected by VLUs and cared for by wound care nurse specialists were included.

RESULTS

Of the 1562 articles reviewed, 9 studies met the inclusion criteria. The most frequently measured outcomes were clinical responses and included healing rate and ulcer recurrence. Less frequent outcomes were patient-reported and resource utilization measures.

CONCLUSION

This review indicates a general predominance of outcomes related to objective clinical responses. Future studies should broaden the types of outcomes by also including patient-reported parameters (eg, pain, quality of life, stress) in order to gain greater evidence on the impact of wound care nurse specialists in the care of patients affected by VLUs.