Quick Reference to Wound Care. . - book review

AORN Journal, Jan, 2002 by Diane Duran

QUICK REFERENCE TO WOUND CARE By Pamela Brown, Julie Phelps Maloy, Donna Oddo 2001, 259 pp $49 paperback

The main purpose of this book is to give readers an easy-to-use, quick reference for the care of various types of wounds. The authors, leading experts in enterostomal nursing, include information regarding dressings, medications, gene therapy, and assessment techniques in this colorful, easy-to-read reference book.

Today's surgical patient often is discharged with wounds that require nursing care at home. Many of these patients return to the physician's office or hospital clinic for further care and evaluation of the severity of the wound. When I was a clinical specialist in vascular surgery, I learned to evaluate and treat various kinds of surgical wounds, as well as arterial and venous ulcers. After reviewing this book, I truly wish that it were available to me at that time. Each chapter describes wound color, staging, dressings available to promote healing, medications, treatment choices, and complications in depth.

This is a wonderful guide for perioperative nurses and those seeking information on the best possible care for all types of wounds. When I worked for a vascular surgeon, it only was after a long tenure as a perioperative director. Having this type of information available to me upon beginning this new career would have been very helpful. I heartily recommend reading and keeping this book handy for all future endeavors in nursing.

This book is available from Aspen Publishers, Inc, 200 Orchard Ridge Dr, Suite 200, Gaithersburg, MD 20878; http://www.aspenpublishers.com.

DIANE DURAN
RN, MSN, CNAA
PRACTICE MANAGER,

SURGICAL SPECIALTY CLINICS
NEw YORK WEILL-CORNELL
MEDICAL CENTER