O'Connor Siobhan, Murphy Siobhan
Siobhan O'Connor, BSc (Business Information Systems), BSc (Nursing), RGN Research Assistant Catherine McAuley School of Nursing & Midwifery, University College Cork Cork, Ireland Doctoral Student Health Information Systems Research Centre, Department of Business Information Systems University College Cork Cork, Ireland Siobhan Murphy, BSc(Hons), MSc, RGN, RNT College Lecturer Catherine McAuley School of Nursing & Midwifery, University College Cork Cork, Ireland.
Adv Skin Wound Care. 2014 Jan;27(1):35-44; quiz 45-6. doi: 10.1097/01.ASW.0000439173.79541.96.
To enhance the learner's competence with knowledge of research data on topical zinc for treatment of chronic leg ulcers.
This continuing education activity is intended for physicians and nurses with an interest in skin and wound care.
After participating in this educational activity, the participant should be better able to:
Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are chronic leg wounds that can have a debilitating effect on the physical and psychological health of patients. Older patients, who are a vulnerable group, suffer from VLUs more frequently, and the prevalence of these ulcers increases as the population ages. Venous leg ulcers also pose a serious cost to the healthcare industry. Zinc, in the form of topical creams and lotions, has been used in wound care for more than 3,000 years and is now contained in a variety of wound care products that are used in the treatment of chronic VLUs.
The aim of this review was to examine the current empirical evidence to assess if topical zinc-based wound products are effective in promoting the healing of VLUs.
Following a systematic search and review of the literature, based on selected keywords, 11 studies were identified as being relevant, and data were extracted using content analysis.
The results show that there is currently very poor-quality evidence to suggest that topical zinc-based wound products are effective in healing VLUs, either in conjunction with compression therapy, as compression bandages themselves, or as a topical skin protectant. Some of the studies were sponsored by industry, which challenges the validity and reliability of their results.
It is apparent that not only was much of the literature conducted on a small scale, it is also outdated and methodologically inconsistent. There is scant high-quality evidence to suggest that topical zinc-based wound products are effective in promoting the healing of VLUs. New studies are urgently needed that are larger, scientifically rigorous, and without bias from industry. This will enable clinicians to implement evidenced-based practice and choose the most appropriate wound management product to improve patient care and reduce the costs of healthcare.
增强学习者对局部用锌治疗慢性腿部溃疡研究数据的了解能力。
本继续教育活动面向对皮肤和伤口护理感兴趣的医生和护士。
参加本教育活动后，参与者应能更好地做到：
静脉性腿部溃疡（VLUs）是慢性腿部伤口，会对患者的身心健康产生衰弱性影响。老年患者作为弱势群体，更频繁地遭受VLUs折磨，且随着人口老龄化，这些溃疡的患病率增加。静脉性腿部溃疡也给医疗行业带来了沉重成本。以局部乳膏和洗剂形式存在的锌，已在伤口护理中使用了3000多年，现在包含在用于治疗慢性VLUs的各种伤口护理产品中。
本综述的目的是审查当前的实证证据，以评估局部用锌基伤口产品是否有效促进VLUs愈合。
在对文献进行系统检索和综述后，基于选定的关键词，确定了11项相关研究，并使用内容分析法提取数据。
结果表明，目前证据质量很差，无法表明局部用锌基伤口产品在与压迫疗法联合使用、作为压迫绷带本身或作为局部皮肤保护剂时，对愈合VLUs有效。一些研究由行业赞助，这对其结果的有效性和可靠性提出了质疑。
显然，不仅许多文献是小规模进行的，而且过时且方法不一致。几乎没有高质量证据表明局部用锌基伤口产品能有效促进VLUs愈合。迫切需要开展规模更大、科学严谨且无行业偏见的新研究。这将使临床医生能够实施循证实践，选择最合适的伤口管理产品，以改善患者护理并降低医疗成本。
