Couch KS, Corbett L, Gould L, Girolami S, Bolton L, et al.
Ostomy/wound management. Date of publication 2017 May 1;volume 63(5):42-46.
1. Ostomy Wound Manage. 2017 May;63(5):42-46.
The International Consolidated Venous Ulcer Guideline Update 2015: Process
Improvement, Evidence Analysis, and Future Goals.
Couch KS(1), Corbett L(2), Gould L(3), Girolami S, Bolton L(4).
Author information:
(1)Wound Healing and Limb Preservation Center, George Washington University
Hospital, Washington, DC.
(2)Hartford Hospital, Hartford, CT.
(3)Kent Hospital Wound Recovery and Hyperbaric Medicine Center, Warwick, RI.
(4)Department of Surgery, Robert Wood Johnson University Medical School, New
Brunswick, NJ.
In 2015, members of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC),
Wound Healing Society, and the Canadian Association for Enterostomal Therapy
formed the International Consolidated Guidelines Taskforce to update the AAWC
Venous Ulcer Guidelines to the collaborative, intersociety, endorsed
International Consolidated Venous Ulcer Guideline. This "guideline of guidelines"
integrates recommendations from all relevant, published evidence-based guidelines
on venous ulcer care and prevention. The update process was conducted in
accordance with the National Guideline Clearinghouse inclusion criteria and was
informed by a systematic review of the evidence, with additional content
validation of each venous ulcer management recommendation. Twenty-three (23)
wound experts participated. Compared to the 2010 version of the guideline,
A-level recommendations increased from 62% to 77%, 31 recommendations were
removed, and new recommendations included quality of life evaluations and
surgical treatment options. Gaps in the evidence and needed areas for research
include surgical, topical, and pharmaceutical interventions. Collaboration among
societies and stakeholders and rigorous guideline development processes may
expedite the implementation of evidence-based practices, fill in research gaps,
and provide a powerful unified voice to regulatory and reimbursement agencies
with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for persons with a venous ulcer.
PMID: 28570248 [Indexed for MEDLINE]
