Abstract
Background: Insufficient wound care knowledge in nursing students affects confidence and competence. Scarce research on wound care content and delivery leads to curriculum disparities. Integrating essential content is vital for improved wound care education.
Aims: This study aimed to determine Australian wound care curriculum content for a 3-year Bachelor of Nursing program and identify the optimal year for introducing each topic, as recognised by experts.
Methodology: A three-round Delphi survey involved 17 wound care experts in Australia. The survey used the Standards for wound prevention and management to identify 74 wound care topics within the three categories of anatomy and physiology (A & P), assessment and treatment/therapies, requiring >70% agreement on the year of introduction for each topic.
Results: The Delphi process established consensus on the initial introduction year for 65 of the 74 wound care topics. A total of 19 topics garnered consensus exceeding 70% in the first year, 19 in the second year, 15 in the third year, and 12 for postgraduate study. Expert consensus enabled a progressive development of knowledge and skills in wound theory, assessment, care planning, patient education and prevention over the 3-year program.
Conclusion: The gathering of this data has allowed for conceptual scaffolding of these topics according to the stage at which wound care topics are recommended for introduction into nursing curricula.