Skin integrity and infection prevention: ideas to action.

Abstract

Journal of Wound CareVol. 28, No. Sup2 Supplement EditorialFree AccessSkin integrity and infection prevention: ideas to actionRachel WebbRachel WebbEditor Journal of Wound CareSearch for more papers by this authorRachel WebbPublished Online:15 Feb 2019https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2019.28.Sup2.S3AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Welcome to the first of our 2019 North American supplements of the Journal of Wound Care (JWC). Now in its third year, the supplement has been a great showcase for work from the US and Canada, as demonstrated by the increase in submissions from the area. Alongside the supplement, we also have an online journal aimed at the region called Wound Central.1 Also in its third year, Wound Central is published quarterly at the same time as this supplement. At the moment, there is a mix of original articles and republished content from JWC and over time we aim to provide completely novel content from North America. Furthermore, the journal is free to view so do take some time to register and look at current and past issues.As well as the supplement and journal, last year we held our first event in the US, the 4th International Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention conference, hosted by JWC and the University of Huddersfield, in Las Vegas. The event was a great success with excellent feedback from delegates and, as a result of that, we are holding the 5th International Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention conference at Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, Canada. The event will be held over two days, 26–27 April 2019, and is titled ‘Ideas to action’. The conference will start by discussing the burden of wound care in different regions, something that is an issue the world over as the number of wounds continues to increase and health-care systems become increasingly stretched. Indeed, wound care is often overlooked as those without specialist knowledge do not always understand the difficultly in healing wounds, especially in patients with many comorbidities. Not forgetting, of course, that this burden is not just financial but also emotional.The programme is packed with innovations and new ideas on how to both prevent and heal wounds. Professor Barbara Bates-Jensen is to give a talk on innovations and updates in skin integrity assessment and monitoring. Kim Le Blanc will also describe how the International Skin Tear Advisory Panel (ISTAP) developed and implemented their best practice guidelines for skin tear management.Other notable sessions include a talk by Dr Vincent Maida, Palliative Medicine and Wound Management Associate Professor, Canada, on the use of topical cannabis in wound healing, something I am curious about, having not seen cannabis use described in wound care before. In the same session Dr Aziz Ghahary, Principal Investigator iCORD, Professor at UBC, will discuss ‘Pressure ulcers and biological skin substitutes’, another area I find interesting as although we do much to prevent pressure ulcers—as we should—there seems to be little work out there on how to heal those that do occur, either avoidable or unavoidable. All in all, it should be an interesting few days and I hope to see you there! References https://www.woundcentral.com/ (accessed 7 February 2019) Google Scholar FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails 1 February 2019Volume 28Issue Sup2ISSN (print): 0969-0700ISSN (online): 2052-2916 Metrics History Published online 15 February 2019 Published in print 1 February 2019 Information© MA Healthcare LimitedPDF download