Wound Field Concept

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Approaches for the Wound Field Concept Name University Affiliation Introduction The wound field is a concept that has been widely discussed for decades. It is an extremely fundamental concept in wound dressing. According to Gillen (2010), understanding the wound field concept helps prevent wound contamination and wound infection. Control of wound infection is essential because wound infection accounts to 38% of all the infections that are acquired in the hospital, which is the Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) (Graves, 2004). The HAIs is a serious hazard to wound patients. The HAIs also present serious economic and legal challenges to hospitals and the communities. According to Gillen (2010), there is a connection between the numbers of HAIs and the standards of wound management and wound dressings. According to him, the wound field concept can be used to effectively reduce the incidences of HAIs. If HAIs are not minimized by the use of the wound field concept, the safety of the patients is compromised. Because of this, it is vital to draw a principle based framework with the aim of providing optimal and safe wound care management practices. Understanding and practicing the wound field concept in wound dressing is one of the best ways of preventing HAIs (Ellis, 2009). Approaches for the Wound Field Concept in wound dressing Wound field concept has got two main approaches depending on surfaces that are regarded to be free from contaminants. This is according to Gillen (2010). The first approach is the inclusive approach that considers the surface of the wound, the area around the wound and the surface for dressing to be part of the uncontaminated wound field. The other approach is the one that excludes the wound and the peri-wound from the field. The
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