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WOUND CARE

products, nurses must make wound management decisions based on the nature and type of

wound and the response to treatment (Krishnaswamy, 2008, p. 489).

Clinical decision-making. Standing (2005) states, “Clinical decision-making is a

complex process involving observation, information processing , critical thinking, evaluating

evidence, applying relevant knowledge, problem solving skills, reflection and clinical judgment

to select the best course of action which optimizes a patient’s health and minimizes any potential

harm” (as cited in Standing, 2010, p.7). This definition in essence addresses the drive towards

evidence-based practice or ‘best practice’. Clinical decision support tools such as ‘clinical

decision rules’ are intended to help nurses and other health care professionals to organize

information, guide their assessments and apply appropriate interventions (Polit & Beck, 2012,

p.32). By standardizing aspects of patient assessments and prescribing specific evidence-based

actions, health care professionals can minimize clinical uncertainty and reduce variations in

inter-professional practice.

Inter-professional practice. According to the Canadian Inter-profession Health

Collaborative (2010), inter-professional collaboration is, “A partnership between a team of

health providers and a client in a participatory, collaborative and coordinated approach to shared

decision-making around health and social issues” (p.11). ‘Inter’ is a prefix denoting “between,

among, in the midst of; mutual, reciprocal; together” (McCallin, 2001, p.428). Thereby, inter-

professional practice may be defined as a team of professionals from different disciplines who

work together for a common objective.

Best practice. According to the contemporary definition of Evidence Based Practice

(EBP) by Sackett, Strauss, Richardson, Rosenberg, and Haynes (2000), EBP is the “integration

of the best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values" (p. 1). Best practice is