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Chronic wound care: A clinical source book for healthcare professionals. 2nd edition
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FEATURE EDITOR: Susan Dudas, RN, MS, ET, FAAN
CHRONIC WOUND CARE: A CLINICAL SOURCE BOOK FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS. 2nd Edition. Diane Krasner, MS, RN, CETN, and Dean Kane, MD, FACS, editors. Wayne (PA): Health Management Publications, Inc., 1997, 427 pages, $69.95 hardcover; $49.95 softcover. n this second edition of Chronic Wound Care: A Clinical Source Bookfor Healthcare Professionals, Krasner has added a second editor and reorganized the book, making it a stronger text by synthesizing and summarizing the burgeoning field of chronic wound care at a level not captured in the first edition. The 53 chapters, authored by 71 contributors, are logically organized into three sect i o n s - F u n d a m e n t a l s , Management, and The Cutting Edge--that encompass a broad perspective of wound care information. For the novice, the book provides current fundamentals of wound healing, assessment, and management. The advanced practitioner is rewarded with strong, research-based, well-developed chapters on futuristic topics and the ability to use the book as a tool for working in a multidisciplinary setting. All readers will profit from the incorporation of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research panel recommendations in the Pressure Ulcer Prevention Guidelines, in-depth w o u n d management discussions, and social aspects of w o u n d care. Although remaining a text aimed at all types of healthcare professionals who deal with chronic wounds, the addition of more nonnursing and nonmedical contributors has resulted in expanded and diverse chapters, making it an exceptional resource. The most obvious augmentation to the second edition is the section entitled, "The Cutting Edge." Topics such as running an outpatient wound center, building a wound care team, wound pain, and critical pathway development are discussed. Wound research is covered in some depth, including advanced technologies such as growth factors and oxygen free radicals. The chapters on regulatory issues, cost-effectiveness, managed care, and the durable
J WOCN 1997;24:330. Copyright © 1997by the Wound, Ostorny and Continence Nurses Society. 1071-5754/97/$5.00 + 0
2118185203
330
medical equipment industry are also valuable additions over the first publication. Updated chapters in other sections have been refined to reflect the most current information available. For example, information on the development of wound care products contains a perspective not always recognized by the wound care provider. Another interesting chapter discusses alternative topical therapies, a phenomenon frequently encountered, yet seldom formally discussed. The editors have done an excellent job ensuring that contributors provided up-to-date, complete references and suggested readings (as recent as 1996). Finally, 42 color plates have been added to this second edition, significantly augmenting topics such as fistula management and surgical repair. Despite its comprehensiveness, the book is lacking in a few aspects. For example, there are minor differences of opinion expressed between chapters discussing the use of topical antibiotics that might leave the novice practitioner somewhat confused. The chapter on cost-effectiveness is useful; however, an additional chapter providing the average clinician with tools or examples of how to track specific therapies and use this information (e.g., research, accountability of practice to employers) would have been invaluable. Last, given that the text is aimed at a multidisciplinary audience, and indeed authors from many disciplines are represented, it would have been more powerful to have more chapters with multidisciplinary coauthors. For example, a physical therapist might be more interested in a chapter on wound assessment and documentation if it were coauthored by a representative of a nonnursing discipline. This perception seems particularly poignant in the chapter "Building a Wound Care Healing Team," authored solely by physicians and nurses. The complex problems associated with chronic wounds, and the rapid technologic advances associated with their care, make a contemporary, research-based text invaluable for the wound care provider. This text delivers. It is comprehensive and practical, encompassing vast amounts of information and synthesizing a considerable amount of research. The book will be of benefit for bedside clinicians, those involved in patient and family teaching efforts, and clinicians with professional teaching responsibilities. All disciplines involved in the practice of wound care will find this text a very useful addition to their library. Amy Schaffner, RN, MS, CETN Clinical Nurse Specialist Denali Center/Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Fairbanks, Alaska
EW
FEATURE EDITOR: Susan Dudas, RN, MS, ET, FAAN
CHRONIC WOUND CARE: A CLINICAL SOURCE BOOK FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS. 2nd Edition. Diane Krasner, MS, RN, CETN, and Dean Kane, MD, FACS, editors. Wayne (PA): Health Management Publications, Inc., 1997, 427 pages, $69.95 hardcover; $49.95 softcover. n this second edition of Chronic Wound Care: A Clinical Source Bookfor Healthcare Professionals, Krasner has added a second editor and reorganized the book, making it a stronger text by synthesizing and summarizing the burgeoning field of chronic wound care at a level not captured in the first edition. The 53 chapters, authored by 71 contributors, are logically organized into three sect i o n s - F u n d a m e n t a l s , Management, and The Cutting Edge--that encompass a broad perspective of wound care information. For the novice, the book provides current fundamentals of wound healing, assessment, and management. The advanced practitioner is rewarded with strong, research-based, well-developed chapters on futuristic topics and the ability to use the book as a tool for working in a multidisciplinary setting. All readers will profit from the incorporation of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research panel recommendations in the Pressure Ulcer Prevention Guidelines, in-depth w o u n d management discussions, and social aspects of w o u n d care. Although remaining a text aimed at all types of healthcare professionals who deal with chronic wounds, the addition of more nonnursing and nonmedical contributors has resulted in expanded and diverse chapters, making it an exceptional resource. The most obvious augmentation to the second edition is the section entitled, "The Cutting Edge." Topics such as running an outpatient wound center, building a wound care team, wound pain, and critical pathway development are discussed. Wound research is covered in some depth, including advanced technologies such as growth factors and oxygen free radicals. The chapters on regulatory issues, cost-effectiveness, managed care, and the durable
J WOCN 1997;24:330. Copyright © 1997by the Wound, Ostorny and Continence Nurses Society. 1071-5754/97/$5.00 + 0
2118185203
330
medical equipment industry are also valuable additions over the first publication. Updated chapters in other sections have been refined to reflect the most current information available. For example, information on the development of wound care products contains a perspective not always recognized by the wound care provider. Another interesting chapter discusses alternative topical therapies, a phenomenon frequently encountered, yet seldom formally discussed. The editors have done an excellent job ensuring that contributors provided up-to-date, complete references and suggested readings (as recent as 1996). Finally, 42 color plates have been added to this second edition, significantly augmenting topics such as fistula management and surgical repair. Despite its comprehensiveness, the book is lacking in a few aspects. For example, there are minor differences of opinion expressed between chapters discussing the use of topical antibiotics that might leave the novice practitioner somewhat confused. The chapter on cost-effectiveness is useful; however, an additional chapter providing the average clinician with tools or examples of how to track specific therapies and use this information (e.g., research, accountability of practice to employers) would have been invaluable. Last, given that the text is aimed at a multidisciplinary audience, and indeed authors from many disciplines are represented, it would have been more powerful to have more chapters with multidisciplinary coauthors. For example, a physical therapist might be more interested in a chapter on wound assessment and documentation if it were coauthored by a representative of a nonnursing discipline. This perception seems particularly poignant in the chapter "Building a Wound Care Healing Team," authored solely by physicians and nurses. The complex problems associated with chronic wounds, and the rapid technologic advances associated with their care, make a contemporary, research-based text invaluable for the wound care provider. This text delivers. It is comprehensive and practical, encompassing vast amounts of information and synthesizing a considerable amount of research. The book will be of benefit for bedside clinicians, those involved in patient and family teaching efforts, and clinicians with professional teaching responsibilities. All disciplines involved in the practice of wound care will find this text a very useful addition to their library. Amy Schaffner, RN, MS, CETN Clinical Nurse Specialist Denali Center/Fairbanks Memorial Hospital Fairbanks, Alaska