Venous leg ulcers make up a large part of a district nurse’s caseload, with the application of compression bandaging requiring competent and skilled practitioners. At Central and North West London Foundation Trust (CNWL) Camden Integrated Primary Care (IPC) Service recruiting and retaining community nurses is a challenge, a situation which is shared across all London boroughs. In particular, it is difficult to maintain consistent standards for wound cleansing and compression bandaging, resulting in the responsibility for a large caseload falling to a small number of practitioners. Following a review of innovative products on show at the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) conference in May 2014, an alternative to traditional compression bandaging was identified as a possible solution to this problem; namely, UCS™ for effective debridement and Juxta CURES™ as an alternative to compression bandaging (both medi UK Ltd, Hereford). A total of 26 patients evaluated the products, which were found to be more clinically effective than previous regimens and also resulted in substantial cost savings.
Venous leg ulcers are a common problem in the community, with which nurses should be familiar if they are to combat the pain, social isolation and depression that accompany this debilitating condition.
It is important that community nurses know how to assess, diagnose and treat leg ulcers, as well as being familiar with the different types of compression available.
If community nurses apply the information contained in this article, as well as completing the associated online test, they will be better equipped to provide evidence-based care and advice for patients living with venous leg ulceration.
Olivia Byrne & Marcella Kelly discuss a study which explored older Irish peoples’ experience of living with a chronic venous leg ulcer in the community.
Olivia Byrne, MSc, BNS (HONS), RGN, RM, RPHN, RNP is a Public Health Nurse, Health Service Executive West, Galway, Ireland
Marcella Kelly MSc, BSc (HONS), RGN, RM, HV, RPHN is a Public Health Nurse Lecturer, National University of Ireland, Galway
Article accepted for publication: July 2010
