The lived experience of community nurses treating clients with leg ulcers

Abstract

Chronic leg ulceration impacts negatively on the quality of life of the sufferer and has financial implications for the economy. Government health policy aims to tackle long-term conditions and restructure services from acute to community care. Community nurses play a pivotal role in managing and co-ordinating care to leg ulcer patients, yet their personal experience in this clinical situation is poorly explored. This qualitative study aims to gain an understanding of community nurses' personal experience of treating clients with leg ulcers; this is necessary to develop leg ulcer services which are effective, efficient and client-centred.

The lived experience of the wound care nurse in caring for patients with pressure ulcers

“…The current study captured the essence of caring which is specific and relational. These relationships were personally and professionally valued, similar to the study by Walsh and Gethin . It is through these caring relationships that this role was characterised as one of care and concern, frustration and challenge similar to the dichotomy identified by Eskilsson and Carlsson .…”

“…There have been a number of studies that have examined the effect of living with a wound as well as exploring the effects of individuals caring for people living with chronic wounds . For the purposes of the current study, it is the latter aspect that was of particular interest.…”

“…Chase et al identified themes related to forever healing, limits and accommodations, powerlessness and difficulty in caring. More recently, Walsh and Gethin sampled seven nurses who cared for patients with chronic leg ulcers for a minimum of 3 years. Within this phenomenological approach, it was determined that nurses place a great emphasis on therapeutic relationships with their patients.…”

Nurses' knowledge about venous leg ulcer care: a literature review

“…Some nurses demonstrated a lack of knowledge in VLU clinical assessment by failing to inspect the VLU and the surrounding skin on both legs thoroughly (Clarke-Moloney et al 2008;Dealey 2001;Graham et al 2001;Weller & Evans 2012). This assessment included the inability to palpate the pedal pulses and measure the ABPI using Doppler ultrasound equipment (Clarke-Moloney et al 2008;Dealey 2001;Walsh & Gethin 2009;Weller & Evans 2012).…”

Estimating the health-care costs of wound care in Ireland

“…The public health nurse (PHN) provides a range of services free of charge to anyone over the age of 65 years with a medical card and many PHN's provide nurse-led community leg ulcer clinics, primarily dealing with venous leg ulceration but in some cases more complex wound aetiologies. The PHN also provides home care visits for those unable to access other services (15). There are approximately 23 tissue viability nurses registered in Ireland working as either clinical nurse specialist or advanced nurse practitioners, but they are mainly concentrated in the acute hospital setting.…”