Pin site care: guidance and key recommendations
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Pin site care: guidance and key recommendations

Anna Timms Limb reconstruction clinical nurse specialist, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, London
Hannah Pugh Orthopaedic clinical nurse specialist, The Princess Grace Hospital, London

Pin site infection is the most common complication of external fixation, a complex orthopaedic procedure used to stabilise fractures and correct limb deformity. The care of pin sites has long been debated among healthcare professionals. It is widely acknowledged that there is a lack of high quality research in this area. In 2010 a meeting with the aim of achieving consensus about pin site care took place, funded by the Royal College of Nursing Society of Orthopaedic and Trauma Nursing. The aim was for practitioners who care for pin sites on a regular basis in adult, paediatric, hospital and community environments around the UK to explore and debate current practice. This article reports the findings of this meeting and discusses the difficulties in creating guidance on this area of practice.

Nursing Standard. 27, 1, 50-55. doi: 10.7748/ns2012.09.27.1.50.c9271

Correspondence

Anna.timms@rnoh.nhs.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

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