Wound Care Nursing Education in the Acute Care Setting

Objective: To assess the feasibility of a survey study exploring how nurses in acute care prefer to be educated, particularly regarding wound management in the acute care setting.

Methods: This pilot study utilized a cross-sectional survey design that included both open-ended and close-ended questions. Participants (N = 47) completed the Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire and provided information regarding their educational preferences related to wound management through use of an online survey.

Results: Participants described the importance of varying educational techniques by topic, ensuring an appropriate time of day for education, and preferring smaller educational sessions over time. Most participants preferred one-on-one bedside education, and the most commonly reported learning styles were active, sensing, visual, and a balanced approach to sequential and global learning. There were few correlations between learning styles and choice of education method, only one of which was expected.

Conclusions: It would be beneficial to conduct this study on a larger scale to confirm results, improve understanding of the correlations, and determine further potential correlations between study variables.