By Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS
Welcome to our second annual “Best of the Best” issue of Wound Care Advisor, the official journal of the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy (NAWCO). This may be the first time you have held Wound Care Advisor in your hands because normally we come to you via the Internet. Using a digital format for this peer-reviewed journal allows us to bring you practical information that you can access anytime, anywhere and gives you the ability to access videos and other links to valuable resources for you and your patients.
However, it’s still nice sometimes to hold a print version of a journal, so last year we started our “Best of the Best” issue, which gives you a compendium of our most popular articles to create a resource you can turn to again and again.
If you are new to Wound Care Advisor, this is an opportunity for you to experience what you’ve been missing. If you are a regular reader, this print edition gives you the opportunity to revisit some of our best articles: We’ve chosen the ones readers have viewed most frequently online over the past 12 months.
Within these pages you’ll find feature articles, best practices, step-by-step how-to’s, clinical resources, and news. Along with wound-related topics, such as how dietary protein improves wound healing and managing venous stasis ulcers, you’ll find a variety of other topics, ranging from safe use of negative-pressure wound therapy to understanding stoma complications. You’ll also sharpen valuable skills you can apply in practice by reading articles on how to apply a spiral wrap, understanding the crusting procedure, how to assess wound exudate, and what you need to know about collagen wound dressings. And, you’ll learn nonclinical skills that can make you a more effective clinician through a useful article on how to become a wound care diplomate.
Also included as part of this special edition is an exclusive directory of the 2014 Wild on Wounds Exhibitors Guide. Wild on Wounds (aka WOW) is an annual, multidisciplinary national wound conference presented by the Wound Care Education Institute. The exhibitor guide features names, products, and contact information for many different manufacturers and companies that can offer solutions to assist in caring for your patients.
In keeping with our digital format, this compendium will also be available electronically at our website, www.woundcareadvisor.com, where you’ll be able to download resources and access links to instructional and informational videos, clinical resources, and much more.
Thanks to our readers, Wound Care Advisor is already winging its way to its third anniversary. We appreciate your support and thank you for your passion for wound, ostomy, and skin care.
Donna Sardina, RN, MHA, WCC, CWCMS, DWC, OMS
Editor-in-Chief
Wound Care Advisor
Cofounder, Wound Care Education Institute
Plainfield, Illinois
DISCLAIMER: All clinical recommendations are intended to assist with determining the appropriate wound therapy for the patient. Responsibility for final decisions and actions related to care of specific patients shall remain the obligation of the institution, its staff, and the patients’ attending physicians. Nothing in this information shall be deemed to constitute the providing of medical care or the diagnosis of any medical condition. Individuals should contact their healthcare providers for medical-related information.
