Dalgleish L, Campbell J, Finlayson K, Barakat-Johnson M, Beath A, Ingleman J, Parker C, Coyer F, et al.
Advances in skin & wound care. Date of publication 2021 Oct 1;volume 34(10):542-550.
1. Adv Skin Wound Care. 2021 Oct 1;34(10):542-550. doi:
10.1097/01.ASW.0000755844.87283.20.
Understanding Skin Failure: A Scoping Review.
Dalgleish L(1), Campbell J, Finlayson K, Barakat-Johnson M, Beath A, Ingleman J,
Parker C, Coyer F.
Author information:
(1)At the School of Nursing, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane,
Australia, Lizanne Dalgleish, PhD, RN, is PhD Candidate; Jill Campbell, PhD, RN,
is Senior Research Fellow; Kathleen Finlayson, PhD, RN, is Lecturer; Jessica
Ingleman, MSN, RN, is Lecturer; Christina Parker, PhD, RN, is Senior Lecturer;
and Fiona Coyer, PhD, RN, is Professor. Michelle Barakat-Johnson, PhD, RN, is
Senior Lecturer, University of Sydney, Camperdown. Amy Beath, BSN, RN, is
Transitional Nurse Practitioner-Wounds, Murrumbidgee Local Health District, New
South Wales. The authors have disclosed no financial relationships related to
this article. Submitted June 21, 2020; accepted in revised form December 1, 2020;
published online ahead of print June 23, 2021.
OBJECTIVE: To map the use of the term "skin failure" in the literature over time
and enhance understanding of this term as it is used in clinical practice.
DATA SOURCES: The databases searched for published literature included PubMed,
Embase, the Cumulative Index for Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Google
Scholar. The search for unpublished literature encompassed two databases, Open
Gray and ProQuest Dissertation and Theses.
STUDY SELECTION: Search terms included "skin failure," "acute skin failure,"
"chronic skin failure," and "end stage skin." All qualitative and quantitative
research designs, editorial, opinion pieces, and case studies were included, as
well as relevant gray literature.
DATA EXTRACTION: Data collected included author, title, year of publication,
journal name, whether the term "skin failure" was mentioned in the publication
and/or in conjunction with other skin injury, study design, study setting, study
population, sample size, main focus of the publication, what causes skin failure,
skin failure definition, primary study aim, and primary outcome.
DATA SYNTHESIS: Two main themes of skin failure were identified through this
scoping review: the etiology of skin failure and the interchangeable use of
definitions.
CONCLUSIONS: Use of the term "skin failure" has increased significantly over the
past 30 years. However, there remains a significant lack of empirical evidence
related to skin failure across all healthcare settings. The lack of quality
research has resulted in multiple lines of thinking on the cause of skin failure,
as well as divergent definitions of the concept. These results illustrate
substantial gaps in the current literature and an urgent need to develop a
globally agreed-upon definition of skin failure, as well as a better
understanding of skin failure etiology.
Copyright © 2021 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.
DOI: 10.1097/01.ASW.0000755844.87283.20
PMID: 34175867
