Utilizing guidelines can be challenging because of the many barriers to changing clinical practice such as awareness, resources, and the complexity of the guidelines. The clinicians involved in implementing guidelines should understand and agree with the content in order to successfully adopt them.

Most guidelines consider the curative therapies for wounds, but have less or no emphasis on symptom management, which is especially important to palliative care patients who may be at very high risk for wounds. Integration of palliative care principles can add the dimension of non-curative care aimed at improving patient comfort and quality of life.

This journal club will explore recent peer-reviewed journal articles that discuss evidence-based guidelines to improve wound care procedures and outcomes.