Lizanne Dalgleish1, Jill Campbell, Kathleen Finlayson, Michelle Bakarat-Johnson, Amy Beath, Jessica Ingleman, Christina Parker, Fiona Coyer. 1. At the School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, Lizanne Dalgleish, BSN, RN, is PhD Candidate; Jill Campbell, PhD, RN, is Senior Research Fellow; Kathleen Finlayson, BSN, RN, is Lecturer; Jessica Ingleman, MSN, RN, is Lecturer; Christina Parker, PhD, RN, is Senior Lecturer; and Fiona Coyer, PhD, RN, is Professor. Michelle Bakarat-Johnson, PhD, RN, is Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney, Camperdown. Amy Beath, BSN, RN, is Transitional Nurse Practitioner - Wounds, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, New South Wales. The authors have disclosed no financial relationships related to this article. Submitted June 21, 2020; accepted in revised form December 1, 2020. Supplemental digital content is available for this article and included at the end of the document.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To map the use of the term skin failure within the literature, throughout time, to enhance understanding of this term as it is used in clinical practice. DATA SOURCES: The databases searched for published literature included PubMed, Embase, the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Google Scholar. The search for unpublished literature encompassed two databases, Open Gray and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses. STUDY SELECTION: Search terms included "skin failure," "acute skin failure," "chronic skin failure," and "end stage skin." All qualitative and quantitative research designs, editorial, opinion pieces and case studies were included, as well as relevant gray literature. DATA EXTRACTION: Collected datapoints included author, title, year of publication, journal name, is the term 'skin failure' mentioned in the publication and/or in conjunction with other skin injury, study design, study setting, study population, sample size, main focus of the publication, what causes skin failure, skin failure definition, primary study aim, and primary outcome. DATA SYNTHESIS: Two main themes of skin failure were identified through this scoping review: the etiology of skin failure and the interchangeable use of definitions. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the term skin failure has increased significantly over the past 30 years. There remains a significant lack of empirical evidence related to skin failure and the lack of quality research has resulted in multiple definitions. These results illustrate substantial gaps in the current literature and the need for a better understanding of how skin failure develops.
OBJECTIVE: To map the use of the term skin failure within the literature, throughout time, to enhance understanding of this term as it is used in clinical practice. DATA SOURCES: The databases searched for published literature included PubMed, Embase, the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Google Scholar. The search for unpublished literature encompassed two databases, Open Gray and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses. STUDY SELECTION: Search terms included "skin failure," "acute skin failure," "chronic skin failure," and "end stage skin." All qualitative and quantitative research designs, editorial, opinion pieces and case studies were included, as well as relevant gray literature. DATA EXTRACTION: Collected datapoints included author, title, year of publication, journal name, is the term 'skin failure' mentioned in the publication and/or in conjunction with other skin injury, study design, study setting, study population, sample size, main focus of the publication, what causes skin failure, skin failure definition, primary study aim, and primary outcome. DATA SYNTHESIS: Two main themes of skin failure were identified through this scoping review: the etiology of skin failure and the interchangeable use of definitions. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the term skin failure has increased significantly over the past 30 years. There remains a significant lack of empirical evidence related to skin failure and the lack of quality research has resulted in multiple definitions. These results illustrate substantial gaps in the current literature and the need for a better understanding of how skin failure develops.