Nurses' knowledge of the management of venous leg ulcer

Abstract

Venous ulceration accounts for approximately 70 to 90 per cent of all leg ulcers in the UK, with an estimated cost of approximately £230 to £400 million sterling annually (Burton 1994, Gould et al.1998). However, nurses seem to underestimate the importance of proper management of these leg ulcers particularly due to lack of knowledge as shown by various studies (Bell 1994, Davies et al. 1994, Lawton 1995, King 2000, Dealey 2001). Thus, an exploratory descriptive study was conducted in the local general hospital amongst registered nurses working in general surgical wards, to examine their knowledge on the management of venous leg ulcers (VLUs). A structured interview was conducted amongst 10 randomly selected nurses who consented to participate in this study, all of whom were qualified nurses working on a full-time basis for at least one year with different educational background and clinical experience. The interviews were conducted at the participants' convenience and took no longer than 30 minutes. The participants of this study seemed to lack knowledge regarding the pathology of VLUs. Moreover, nursing assessment seems not to be a structured, standardised procedure. On the other hand, the cleansing agents utilised in VLU management, were commonly mentioned by the majority of participants. Results also showed that education delivered to patients is inconsistent with literature. Therefore, these results may indicate lack of evidence-based practice.