The NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care is a 5-year Centre of Research Excellence led by Professor Wendy Chaboyer, Griffith University. Professor Elizabeth McInnes is CIC for this CRE that was established on 1 January 2021. The CRE aim is to undertake research and build research capacity in preventing and treating three types of wounds that are commonly seen in hospitalised patients (pressure injury, surgical wounds and from intravascular devices) and to translate this research into both policy and practice.

Wiser Wound Care-related research at Nursing Research Institute

Led by Professor Elizabeth McInnes and Dr Angela Wan Research Fellow funded by the CRE, the program of research undertaken as part of the work of the CRE is focused on implementation of pressure injury prevention guidelines and identifying aspects of low-value care in relation to pressure injury clinical practice. Working with hospital partners, Dr Angela Wan, is developing an intervention co-designed with clinicians and consumers to improve the uptake of pressure injury prevention guidelines related to screening for nutrition status and appropriate allocation of alternating support surfaces to relieve pressure. A PhD student, Jake McMahon, has commenced research that will examine how hospitals can de-implement from low-value hospital care related to the use of wound dressings to prevent pressure injuries. An honours student, Eliza Humphrey, is undertaking a systematic review focused on identifying clinicians' and patients' views of the barriers to implementing guidelines in relation to the prevention and management of surgical and intravascular device wounds. ACU Clinical Fellow, Jane Rodgers, Wounds Clinical Nurse Consultant for St Vincent's Public Hospital Sydney is the clinician end-user who advises on aspects of this research program.

Method

Underpinned by implementation science frameworks and models, a program of research is designed to first identify barriers and facilitators to implementing pressure injury prevention and management guidelines using systematic reviews and qualitative research methods. It is followed by identifying priority barriers to implementing guideline recommendations from clinical and consumer end-user perspectives using co-design research activities. This will inform the development of a stakeholder-tailored evidence-informed intervention to improve hospital pressure injury care.

Hospital partners

St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne

St Vincent's Health Network Sydney

Relevant people at Nursing Research Institute

Chief Investigator
Professor Elizabeth McInnes

Research Fellow
Dr Angela Wan

ACU Clinical Fellow, St Vincent's Public Hospital, Wounds Clinical Nurse Consultant
Jane Rodgers

PhD Student
Jake McMahon

Honours Student
Eliza Humphrey

Visit the pages below to learn about the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care in more depth.

• Official website at Griffith University:
  https://www.griffith.edu.au/menzies-health-institute-queensland/our-research/healthcare-practice-survivorship/nhmrc-cre-wiser-wound-care#:~:text=Wiser%20wound%20care%20focus%20of,wound%20care%20services%20in%20hospital.

Acknowledgement:

We would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the nursing unit managers, nursing executives, nurses, allied health, consumers and others who have assisted with our research.

Contact us:

If you would like to get in contact with us, please email: Professor Elizabeth McInnes: Liz.McInnes@acu.edu.au or Dr Angela Wan: ChingShan.Wan@acu.edu.au.