Wound Care Information Standard – Draft
Wound care is a critical aspect of healthcare that affects people of all ages. The National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) is addressing the unwarranted variation in wound care services, not enough use of evidence-based practices and use of ineffective practices.
The NWCSP’s goal is to reduce pain and suffering for patients, improve healing rates, prevent wounds from happening or coming back, and use healthcare resources more efficiently. PRSB’s wound care standard will help to support this goal by encouraging use of evidences-based practice and consistent recording of information which can be shared with all those involved in the person’s care.
About this standard
The standard defines the information record content for the management of wound care. It is designed to support the professionals and those providing care as well as the person themselves, and to support the national wound care strategy. It has 3 specific domains which cover the wound care standard. These are shown here:
Wound assessment and treatment
Wound cause(s) and baseline information, wound assessment and treatments.
Treatment plan
Intended treatment regime, escalation pathway and person preferences.
Supported self-care (self-management)
Information provided to, or recorded by, the person during their wound care treatment.
There are 3 further domains for information which should be available to those providing care, personal details, relevant history and circle of care as shown below:
Personal details
Person details, safeguarding, risks, individual requirements, legal information and About Me.
General health information and relevant history
General health information including information such as medications, allergies, social context and relevant history
Circle of care
Contact details for care professionals and personal carers involved in the care of the person.
The domains are mostly built from existing PRSB components used in other standards with a few new sections and elements, which helps ensure consistency in the use and sharing of information. The treatment plan uses the existing Personalised care and support plan (PCSP) standard. This is person-centred plan, developed with the person to address their overall needs and goals. The PCSP standard includes sections for care and support plan, additional supporting plans and contingency plans. The treatment plan will feed into the person’s care and support plan and, where appropriate, can use an additional supporting plan for treatment details which don’t fit into the person-orientated needs / goals/ actions, and a contingency plan for when things don’t go as expected. Examples are available below.
It is recognised that for surgical wounds, the treatment plan may be developed pre-surgery, but for other wounds, the treatment plan will come from the initial (baseline) assessment.
In scope
The standard covers the assessment, management, maintenance, and prevention of the wounds across all health and care settings for three areas of wound care;
- Lower limb (leg and foot) wounds
- Pressure ulcers
- Surgical wound complications
The standard is UK wide and is for adults and children.
Out of scope
- Wound types not specified above, including those caused by external factors such as new trauma and burns (although it may work for these).
- Prevention of peripheral vascular disease. While leg wounds often result from peripheral venous or arterial disease, prevention of vascular disease is beyond the scope of this standard.
- Management of Lymphoedema. While leg wounds may result from lower limb lymphoedema, management of lymphoedema is beyond the scope of this standard.
Examples of the standard in use
To give a clearer idea of how the standard works in practice, PRSB have created examples of different people and scenarios where the standard would be used in practice.
Current release
Current release
Date: April 2023
Version: Draft V0.4 (pending endorsement and ISN approval)
The standard comprises 3 domains. The links below show the standard in three different formats.
Wound assessment and treatment
Supporting documentation
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(Detailed implementation guidance specific to the sections and elements of this standard are included within the information model) -
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(appendix to final report)
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– draft pending NHSE Clinical Safety Group approval -
– draft pending NHSE Clinical Safety Group approval - Provenance Data Standard
Provenance data for this standard is now shown in a separate information model which is explained and available on this webpage.
Next release dates:
- ISN Status (England only): ISN anticipated Aug-23
- Next release: V1.0 is planned for August 2023 after endorsement and ISN approval.
Further resources
- Standards explained
PRSB’s guide to standards which sets out the purpose and benefits of using standards and how to support frontline professionals to adopt them. - National Wound Care Strategy Programme
- IHRIM record correction guidance
Despite vigilance when filing information in records, mistakes can occur. The Institute of Health Records and Information Management has guidance to support professionals in making corrections following errors.
Implementation support
An implementation toolkit is currently in development and is due to be published in June/July 2023.
Endorsement
Endorsement is in progress with key professional bodies and stakeholders.