Wounds can be divided into acute and chronic wounds, also known as hard-to-heal wounds. Acute wounds are surgical wounds, different types of traumatic wounds, burn injuries and frostbites. Chronic wounds, instead, are different types of leg ulcers, including venous and arterial leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, pressure ulcers and various types of atypical wounds. Despite this division, all wounds become chronic if the healing process takes longer than expected, usually more than 4 weeks. However, certain wounds can be considered chronic or hard-to-heal wounds immediately when they appear. Effective care of these different types of wounds requires versatile competence from nursing professionals. Furthermore, when it comes to chronic wounds, prevention plays a key role.

Nursing professionals’ roles in wound care cover the assessment and management of the wound, including cleansing or debridement of the wound, peri-wound and application of wound care products. The wound management process also includes patient education and care for the underlying cause of the wound. In wound prevention, nursing professionals’ role is to prevent wounds using evidence-based interventions, such as repositioning in pressure ulcer prevention or compression therapy in venous leg ulcer prevention.