Every issue of OWM is a reminder that the world of skin, wound, continence, and ostomy care is in a constant state of change. As in most areas of healthcare, we rarely can discuss anything as being…

  A stoma is an opening and an ostomy is a surgically created opening, either temporary or permanent, used to divert the flow of stool or urine. A pouch collects the urine or stool and has a solid…

Skin Matters is published as an occasional column that addresses the multidisciplinary challenges of maintaining skin integrity.   The role of skin care products in institutional settings is a…

  Children are not small adults. Rapid growth rate stands at the forefront of distinction in relation to nutritional status. Children are in a constant anabolic state, actively building their bodies…

  As a sequel to “Informed Decisions for Improved Patient Safety” (Ostomy Wound Manage. 2011;57[9]:22-23), it is timely to make the case for a patient-centered process that focuses on expectations,…

Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience – Denis Waitley, motivational speaker and author   For Phyllis Kupsick, RN, MSN, FNP…

Abstract   Clostridium difficile can cause diarrhea of varying severity; C. difficile cross-contamination is a serious concern in healthcare institutions. The purpose of this study was to evaluate…

Abstract   Documentation of healing progress is central to the plan of care for patients with a pressure ulcer. Several studies have shown that a reduction in wound area is a predictor of chronic…

Abstract   A variety of pressure ulcer (PU) risk factors has been identified, but not all information is consistent and some applies to specific patient populations only. The purpose of this…

Continence control device is safe and effective   An international Phase 3 clinical trial of Vitala™ Continence Control Device (CCD), a product of ConvaTec (Skillman, NJ), has found the device to be…