Standardisation of wound care.

The bewildering array of wound care products on the market can serve to confuse rather than inform nurses working in clinical areas, and can lead to inconsistent approaches to wound management. Vicki Turner describes how she devised a wound care protocol in the form of a flowchart for her surgical orthopaedic ward, which aimed to standardise nurses' approaches to management and encourage a comprehensive problem-solving philosophy. Based on research findings, the guide has proved clinically successful and has also acted as an educational tool for student and junior nurses.