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Wound Care Practice
Paul J. Sheffield, PhD,
Adrianne P.S. Smith, MD, and
Caroline E. Fife, MD
814 pp, Hardcover
© January, 2004 by Best Publishing Company
ISBN 193053616X, $158.00
Reviewed by Sara Ellis, R.N.
There have been many attempts to fill the void that exists for a truly multidisciplinary wound care reference book. The perfect reference work would be simple enough for the student to understand, while providing enough comprehensive material that the experienced practitioner could gain new insights while enhancing clinical skills. Ideally it would provide a solid understanding of the underlying causes of wounds while supplying solid principles of assessment and management which would allow students and more advanced learners alike opportunities to enhance their skills. This would allow readers with different levels of experience to remain engaged with the text, while not being too over or underwhelmed.
Wound Care Practice by Paul J. Sheffield, PhD, Adrianne P.S. Smith, MD, and Caroline E. Fife, MD is the definitive text that fills that void. The focus of this book is assessment and management of chronic wounds in a wound care practice setting. “Physicians, nurses, enterostomal therapists, physical therapists, and other health care professionals will find in this book the principles of modern, moist, interactive wound care and the application of advanced therapies.”
“This book represents the combined efforts of 60 authors selected from basic sciences, clinical sciences, and clinical practice. The reader can examine the principles of managing the wound and treating the underlying cause of pressure sores, vascular insufficiency, chronic venous insufficiency ulcers, diabetic/neurotrophic foot ulcers, and other chronic wounds.” ( Paul J. Sheffield, from the Preface).
Wound Care Practice is well organized and divided into five main sections which include application chapters on defining and understanding the etiology of problem wounds, principles of wound assessment, principles of wound management, pain, infection, adjunctive therapies, and healthcare delivery. The book also includes a helpful resource section that provides names, addresses, and contact information for wound care product and technology manufacturers.
This book differs
significantly from others of the same subject matter in the holistic approach the authors have taken when examining each section’s topic. An excellent example of this multidisciplinary and holistic manner is readily available in the first chapter, “Etiology of the Problem Wound”. In this chapter the authors offer a fascinating range of material that addresses oxygen and perfusion issues, the impact of nutrition and hydration, hematological abnormalities, and socioeconomic issues. Yes, this is a text, but the effects of socioeconomic issues on wounds had my rapt attention!
In my view the authors have largely succeeded in creating a text that provides a comprehensive and multidisciplinary guide to understanding the principles and latest techniques of wound care. The book is well organized, easy to read, and the good instructional techniques help facilitate comprehension of the material.
I highly recommend this book for anyone practicing or teaching wound care. The extensive photographs of actual wounds as well as graphs and assessment tools in this book lead me to recommend it as a reference that should be made available at nursing stations for quick reference as well.
Wound Care Practice would be a good addition to medical libraries, for advanced practice nursing programs, and as a reference for practicing nurses in all settings. My vote = Five Stars!
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