Population ageing has been posed as a problem for contemporary governing in relation to the allocation and consumption of finite health care resources, in particular acute hospital care. This thesis explores how nursing practice is a key resource in the management of this ???problem???. Employing Foucault???s concept of governmentality, nursing practice is examined as a form of social government that is central to the regulation of hospital care to older people. A governmentality approach enables consideration of the relationship between the macro political context of governing, as embodied in prevailing political rationalities, and their outworking beyond the arenas of formal government in the micro practices of nurses. Specifically, in this research, it reveals how contemporary entrepreneurial rationalities of governing work at a distance to discursively shape the local practices of nurses in the regulation of hospital care to older people. Discourse analysis of interview texts, literature and documents revealed how enterprise rationality was invested in the discourses circulating in the study site, highlighting the power relationships and subject positions available to registered nurses and outcomes produced in the regulation of hospital care to older people. The analysis details how registered nurses activated a range of technologies and practices as they engaged with enterprise discourses, constituting nursing practice as an activity aimed at making up older people as dischargeable subjects. It shows how enterprise is both a practice and way of thinking that directs us toward a particular truth of hospital, hence nursing, care of older people. The thesis illustrates how changes in the ways of governing hospitals have actively transformed the meaning and practice of nursing in the provision of hospital care to older people. It shows how the values and practices that make entrepreneurial modes of government possible penetrate each layer of an organisation and can create new mentalities or ways of thinking. This was evident in this research whereby an entrepreneurial mode of governance had re-imagined the social practice of nursing as a form of the economic, such that neither recovery, nor health, but discharge assumed pre-eminence as the focus and aim of hospital care for older people and hence the goal of nursing practice. These findings suggest that hospital care of older people has become a political and economic, rather than therapeutic concern. Furthermore, nursing interventions in the hospital care of older people have become administrative rather than therapeutic, with nursing practice focused on individual older people only insofar as they are constituted as part of a population at risk of delayed discharge. The thesis contends that nurses are implicated in the politics of health care in new and different ways amid entrepreneurial rationalities of governing that promote an ethos of risk management, individualism and responsibilisation in relation to health. It argues that the replacement of an ethos of nursing as care based on client need with an ethos of nursing as risk management substitutes the therapeutic intent and practices of nursing with the technical intent of managing risk. In so doing, the thesis illustrates dangers and possibilities arising from the re-framing of health care through entrepreneurial modes of governance. It enables a critically informed consideration of what kind of practice acute care nursing could be into the future and how nurses and others can take action to positively contribute to the futures of older people they provide care to. / Thesis (PhD)--University of South Australia, 2010

Le système de santé québécois fait face à de grands défis de dotation en personnel infirmier, entre autres puisqu’il doit répondre à des demandes croissantes de services, tout en composant avec une diminution de la main-d’oeuvre qui dispense ces services. Les problèmes de dotation peuvent entrainer une baisse de la qualité et de la sécurité des soins offerts aux patients et une hausse des coûts pour les organisations de santé. Bien que la dotation soit une pierre angulaire de la gestion des ressources humaines, il n’y a pas encore de meilleures pratiques claires et établies pour assurer une dotation en personnel infirmier réaliste, optimale et efficiente. Plusieurs études abordent le problème de la dotation avec un angle directeur unique, omettant ainsi d’autres dimensions importantes et déterminantes de la dotation en personnel infirmier, ce qui résulte en une vision fragmentée de celle-ci. Le but de cette étude était d’identifier les modèles de dotation prévalant en personnel infirmier dans des unités de soins aigus de centres hospitaliers d’une des plus grandes régions au Québec en tenant compte simultanément des trois principales dimensions de la dotation : la quantité de personnel, la composition des équipes de soins et la stabilité des équipes de soins. Basé sur un devis quantitatif descriptif, les variables nécessaires à l’opérationnalisation des dimensions ont été collectées pour 40 unités de soins pour la période du 11 janvier 2016 au 7 mars 2016, auprès de la direction des ressources humaines des quatre centres hospitaliers étudiés. En s’appuyant sur l’approche configurationnelle, c’est à l’aide d’une analyse factorielle multiple et une classification ascendante hiérarchique que des modèles de dotation ont été identifiés. Les résultats de l’étude constituent une description des caractéristiques de dotation des unités d’hospitalisation de courte durée des centres hospitaliers. Quatre modèles de dotation en personnel infirmier qui prévalent dans les centres hospitaliers étudiés ont émergé : le modèle le moins pourvu, le modèle de base modérément pourvu, le modèle professionnel modérément pourvu et le modèle le plus pourvu. Ce portrait des modèles de dotation présente des données inédites pour la planification des effectifs infirmiers. Les résultats de l’étude fournissent des données privilégiées pour les ii gestionnaires et les décideurs en ressources humaines afin que ceux-ci puissent comparer leur modèle de dotation aux différents modèles identifiés lors de la présente étude ainsi qu’à ceux des autres unités de soins des centres hospitaliers étudiés. Par ailleurs, la présente étude, en dressant un portrait de la situation actuelle, fournit des données importantes pour optimiser la planification des effectifs infirmiers. À la connaissance de l’étudiante-chercheuse, préalablement à cette étude il n’existait aucune classification des modèles de dotation en personnel infirmier qui tenait compte de toutes les dimensions de la dotation. / The Quebec health care system faces great challenges when it comes to nurse staffing. Having to provide for a growing demand in services while dealing with a decreasing qualified labor force generates a lower quality and less secure standard of care. This creates extensive costs for health organizations. Staffing is considered a corner stone of human resources management but there is no clear and established practice that ensures optimal, realistic and efficient nurse staffing. Many studies have examined staffing from only a single perspective which has resulted in the overlooking of other important staffing considerations and a narrow vision of nurse staffing. The aim of this study was to identify the staffing models used in hospital acute care units in one of the biggest regions in Quebec while concurrently considering the three dimensions of nurse staffing: resource levels, staff mix and team stability. According to a descriptive quantitative design, the necessary variables for staffing operationalization were collected directly from the human resources departments of the four hospital centers for a total of 40 units of care which were studied for the target period between Janurary 11, 2016 and March 7, 2016. Staffing models were identified with a multiple factorial analysis and a hierarchical ascendant classification, used to generate a limited number of nurse staffing models. based on the configurational approach. This study’s results are a description of nurse staffing characteristics in the short-term hospitalization care units. Four different nurse staffing models emerged from the studied hospital centers: the least resourced model, the moderately resourced basic model, the moderately resourced professional model and the most resourced model. This representation of staffing models introduces new data for nursing workforce planning. The results provide human resources managers with data to compare to their staffing model or to other identified models and to other care units associated models in the studied sample. Moreover, because this study leads to a picture of the actual staffing situation it provides valuable information to optimize nurse staffing planning. Prior to this study, there were to our knowledge no staffing model classifications that considered all staffing dimensions simultaneously.

Bakgrund: Den palliativa vården syftar till att främja bästa möjliga livskvalitet för människor drabbade av obotlig, livshotande sjukdom. För att den sista tiden i livet ska bli så bra som möjligt för patienter och närstående krävs en helhetssyn på människan där hänsyn tas till både fysiska, psykiska, sociala och existentiella behov och att vården ges utifrån patientens önskemål. Sjuksköterskor har ett betydelsefullt omvårdnadsansvar i vården av svårt sjuka och döende patienter, men ansvaret kan se olika ut beroende på var patienten vårdas. I Sverige sker cirka en tredjedel av alla dödsfall varje år på sjukhus, i en miljö vars huvudsakliga fokus är att rädda liv. Palliativ vård är en grundläggande rättighet för alla människor och sjukvården har ett ansvar att ge en god, säker, jämlik och individanpassad vård, oavsett var patienten vårdas. Trots detta har den palliativa vården på sjukhus visat sig vara otillräcklig ur många perspektiv. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturöversikten var att beskriva sjuksköterskors syn på sitt omvårdnadsansvar i vården av patienter i livets slutskede på sjukhus. Metod: En litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ ansats utfördes på ett systematiskt sätt. Artiklar söktes med hjälp av relevanta sökord i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL.12 vetenskapliga originalartiklar inkluderades, kvalitetsgranskades och analyserades och resultatet sammanställdes med hjälp av tematisk innehållsanalys. Resultat: Fyra huvudteman utkristalliserades. Det första handlade framför allt om känslor av osäkerhet i rollen och ansvaret relaterat till kunskaps- och erfarenhetsbrist och det andra om ansvaret att ge en helhetsvård utifrån patientens behov och önskemål, ofta svårt i en akut vårdkontext. Det tredje temat beskrev att sjuksköterskorna ofta fick kämpa sig till ett samarbete, att deras profession inte alltid togs på allvar och att ansvaret att bygga tillitsfulla relationer med patienter och närstående krävde förutsättningar som inte alltid fanns. Sista temat handlade om ansvaret att företräda patienterna och viljan att göra det bästa möjliga för patienter och närstående. Samtliga teman beskrev faktorer som påverkade sjuksköterskans möjlighet att ta sitt omvårdnadsansvar. Slutsats: Det finns en önskan och strävan hos sjuksköterskorna i litteraturöversiktenatt vården i livets slutskede ska vara den bästa möjliga, men de saknar många gånger rätt förutsättningar för att ge en god vård utifrån ett palliativt förhållningssätt. För att kunna tillgodose patientens fysiska, psykiska, sociala och existentiella behov behöver sjuksköterskorna mer utbildning och kunskap, tid samt ett bättre teamarbete professionerna emellan. / Background: Palliative care is an approach aimed to improve quality of life for patients with serious, life-threatening illness. To optimize the time for patients and their families the care should be provided through the integration of physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs and health professionals that pay special attention to the preferences of individuals. Nurses have a significant responsibility in the care of the terminal ill, and the responsibility can look different depending on where the patients are cared for. In Sweden, about a third of all deaths occur in hospitals, in an environment whose main focus is to save lives. Palliative care is a basic human right and healthcare has a responsibility to give a good, secure, equal and person-centered care, regardless of where the patients are cared for. Despite this, the hospital palliative care has been shown as insufficient in many perspectives. Aim: The aim was to describe nurses’ view of their responsibility in the end-of-life care in hospitals. Method: A qualitative literature review was made in a systematic way. Articles were sought with relevant search terms in the PubMed and CINAHL databases. 12 scientific original articles were included, quality reviewed and analysed and the result was compiled with thematic content analysis. Results: Four main themes crystallised. The first was mainly about feelings of uncertainty in the role and responsibility related to lack of knowledge and experience. The second was about the responsibility to provide comprehensive care based on the patient’s needs and wishes, often difficult in an acute care context. The third theme described that nurses often had to fight their way to a collaboration, that their profession was not always taken seriously and that the responsibility to build trusting relationships with patients and loved ones required conditions that did not always exist. The last theme was about the responsibility to represent patients and the desire to do the best possible for patients and loved ones. All themes described factors that affected the nurse’s ability to assume her nursing responsibilities. Conclusion: There is a desire and ambition among the nurses in the study that end-of-life care should be as good as possible, but they often lack the right conditions to provide good care based on a palliative approach. To meet the patient's physical, mental, social and existential needs, nurses need more education and knowledge, time and better teamwork between the professions.

The Effect of a Quality Improvement Initiative on Reducing Hospital Transfers of Nursing Home Residents by Denise Eileen Jarboe MSN, Walden University, 2010 BS, University of Maryland, 1981 Project Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University February 2015 Nursing homes (NH) in the 21st century provide skilled healthcare services for resident populations who are older, frailer, and often suffering from multiple incurable chronic medical conditions. Nurses practicing in this setting must be keen observers and effective communicators with the ability to recognize and report subtle changes in health status that may lead to an avoidable or unnecessary hospital transfer. The purpose of this DNP project was to evaluate the impact of a quality assurance performance improvement (QAPI) initiative implementing the INTERACTTM (interventions to reduce acute care transfers) SBAR (situation, background, assessment/appearance, recommendation) communication tool in a skilled NH setting. The Synergy Model, which posits that optimal patient outcomes are possible when nurse competency is matched or synergized with patient care needs, provided the conceptual framework for this project. To evaluate the effect of the program, resident hospital transfer events groups before and after SBAR utilization (n = 295) were analyzed using a dependent t test to determine if significant differences existed in the groups in overall number of transfers, clinical condition categories, and those leading to an inpatient hospitalization. Although analysis of the data did not demonstrate significant decreases in resident transfer events, the results did provide valuable baseline information for future studies. This project contributed to social change by evaluating communication among care providers in a skilled NH setting, establishing baseline information and identifying the need for future projects. This information is vital for determining which resident transfers to the hospital are avoidable and for developing future programs addressing this practice issue.

Bakgrund: Den palliativa vården syftar till att främja bästa möjliga livskvalitet för människor drabbade av obotlig, livshotande sjukdom. För att den sista tiden i livet ska bli så bra som möjligt för patienter och närstående krävs en helhetssyn på människan där hänsyn tas till både fysiska, psykiska, sociala och existentiella behov och att vården ges utifrån patientens önskemål. Sjuksköterskor har ett betydelsefullt omvårdnadsansvar i vården av svårt sjuka och döende patienter, men ansvaret kan se olika ut beroende på var patienten vårdas. I Sverige sker cirka en tredjedel av alla dödsfall varje år på sjukhus, i en miljö vars huvudsakliga fokus är att rädda liv. Palliativ vård är en grundläggande rättighet för alla människor och sjukvården har ett ansvar att ge en god, säker, jämlik och individanpassad vård, oavsett var patienten vårdas. Trots detta har den palliativa vården på sjukhus visat sig vara otillräcklig ur många perspektiv. Syfte: Syftet med litteraturöversikten var att beskriva sjuksköterskors syn på sitt omvårdnadsansvar i vården av patienter i livets slutskede på sjukhus. Metod: En litteraturöversikt med kvalitativ ansats utfördes på ett systematiskt sätt. Artiklar söktes med hjälp av relevanta sökord i databaserna PubMed och CINAHL.12 vetenskapliga originalartiklar inkluderades, kvalitetsgranskades och analyserades och resultatet sammanställdes med hjälp av tematisk innehållsanalys. Resultat: Fyra huvudteman utkristalliserades. Det första handlade framför allt om känslor av osäkerhet i rollen och ansvaret relaterat till kunskaps- och erfarenhetsbrist och det andra om ansvaret att ge en helhetsvård utifrån patientens behov och önskemål, ofta svårt i en akut vårdkontext. Det tredje temat beskrev att sjuksköterskorna ofta fick kämpa sig till ett samarbete, att deras profession inte alltid togs på allvar och att ansvaret att bygga tillitsfulla relationer med patienter och närstående krävde förutsättningar som inte alltid fanns. Sista temat handlade om ansvaret att företräda patienterna och viljan att göra det bästa möjliga för patienter och närstående. Samtliga teman beskrev faktorer som påverkade sjuksköterskans möjlighet att ta sitt omvårdnadsansvar. Slutsats: Det finns en önskan och strävan hos sjuksköterskorna i litteraturöversiktenatt vården i livets slutskede ska vara den bästa möjliga, men de saknar många gånger rätt förutsättningar för att ge en god vård utifrån ett palliativt förhållningssätt. För att kunna tillgodose patientens fysiska, psykiska, sociala och existentiella behov behöver sjuksköterskorna mer utbildning och kunskap, tid samt ett bättre teamarbete professionerna emellan. / Background: Palliative care is an approach aimed to improve quality of life for patients with serious, life-threatening illness. To optimize the time for patients and their families the care should be provided through the integration of physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs and health professionals that pay special attention to the preferences of individuals. Nurses have a significant responsibility in the care of the terminal ill, and the responsibility can look different depending on where the patients are cared for. In Sweden, about a third of all deaths occur in hospitals, in an environment whose main focus is to save lives. Palliative care is a basic human right and healthcare has a responsibility to give a good, secure, equal and person-centered care, regardless of where the patients are cared for. Despite this, the hospital palliative care has been shown as insufficient in many perspectives. Aim: The aim was to describe nurses’ view of their responsibility in the end-of-life care in hospitals. Method: A qualitative literature review was made in a systematic way. Articles were sought with relevant search terms in the PubMed and CINAHL databases. 12 scientific original articles were included, quality reviewed and analysed and the result was compiled with thematic content analysis. Results: Four main themes crystallised. The first was mainly about feelings of uncertainty in the role and responsibility related to lack of knowledge and experience. The second was about the responsibility to provide comprehensive care based on the patient’s needs and wishes, often difficult in an acute care context. The third theme described that nurses often had to fight their way to a collaboration, that their profession was not always taken seriously and that the responsibility to build trusting relationships with patients and loved ones required conditions that did not always exist. The last theme was about the responsibility to represent patients and the desire to do the best possible for patients and loved ones. All themes described factors that affected the nurse’s ability to assume her nursing responsibilities. Conclusion: There is a desire and ambition among the nurses in the study that end-of-life care should be as good as possible, but they often lack the right conditions to provide good care based on a palliative approach. To meet the patient's physical, mental, social and existential needs, nurses need more education and knowledge, time and better teamwork between the professions.

No description available.

Aim. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of advance care planning protocols with hospitalization, rehospitalization, and emergency department use rates in U. S. home health agencies (HHA). Background. Since 2003, CMS has required HHAs to report on quality outcomes such as hospitalization, rehospitalization, and emergency department use rates, made publicly available online. Advance care planning (ACP) is a conversation about beliefs, goals, values, future treatment choices, and designation of a surrogate decision-maker, that someone has in advance of a health crisis. Most existing studies on ACP have taken place outside of HHAs among populations with serious illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, dementia, and end stage renal disease. Meanwhile, the U.S. home health population is living longer with chronic conditions such as pulmonary and cardiovascular illnesses. Effective January 1, 2016, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation implemented the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model among home health agencies (HHAs) in nine states representing each geographic region in the United States. Agencies in these states began competing on value in the HHVBP model, and reimbursement rates began to be tied to quality performance (innovation.cms.gov). As part of HHVBP, CMS implemented an additional process-level mandate requiring them to report on ACP, though this data is not publicly available. It is currently unknown how ACP protocols in HHAs may affect agencies’ overall rates of acute care services use. Methods. Electronic surveys about ACP protocols were distributed to HHAs. Existing data about demographics, diagnoses, hospitalization, rehospitalization, and ED use were accessed online via CMS websites. Descriptive and regression analyses were conducted using the electronic survey results and the existing data. Results. Associations between the variables were observed and compared to the hypotheses. Statistical significance was found in the relationship between ACP protocols and hospitalization, where one increased the other increased. Several trends were found: Agencies with increased total percentage of cardiac and pulmonary diagnoses tended to have increased hospitalization rates; agencies with increased average age of patients tended to have increased ACPP scores; and agencies with increased proportion of Black patients tended to have higher hospitalization rates.

<p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong><strong></strong></p> <p><strong>Background</strong>: Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and HAI disease outbreaks present challenges for healthcare facilities. In 2008, a <em>Clostridium difficile</em> outbreak in Ontario resulted in the deaths of 91 patients and raised awareness of HAIs. Over the last 5 years, the outbreak rate has risen dramatically. Traditionally, HAI research has focused on epidemiology, healthcare systems, and the economic burden. Little is known about the impact HAI disease outbreaks have on the work of healthcare professionals.</p> <p><strong>Purpose</strong>: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of HAI outbreaks on healthcare professionals in a large acute care hospital in Ontario.</p> <p><strong>Methods</strong>:<strong> </strong>A retrospective exploratory case study approach was used, including individual interviews, document analysis, and incidence analysis of HAIs hospital data. The sample was frontline nurses, clinical managers, infection control professionals, and environmental service staff. Document analysis included hospital policies and protocols related to infectious diseases and HAI disease outbreaks.</p> <p><strong>Findings</strong>: The incidence rates of Methicillin-resistant s<em>taphylococcus aureus</em>, <em>Clostridium difficile</em>, and Vancomycin-resistant<em> </em>enterococci<em> </em>have decreased but remained above the provincial benchmarks. The daily work of healthcare professionals was impacted by HAI outbreaks. Nurses experienced workload challenges, time pressures, and increased documentation. Infection control professionals' responsibilities have expanded. The environmental services staffs' cleaning processes have become more intensive. In response, several unique innovations were developed by hospital staff.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion</strong>: The daily work of healthcare professionals at the study site has been affected by HAI outbreaks. Implications for future research include the need to review healthcare professionals’ workloads and evaluate contributing factors to HAI outbreaks.</p> / Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Introduction : The acute care surgery (ACS) units are dedicated to the prompt management of surgical emergencies. It is a systemic way of organizing on-call services to diminish conflict between urgent care and elective obligations. The aim of this study was to define the characteristics of an ACS unit and to find common criteria in units with reported good functioning. Methods : As of July 1st 2014, 22 Canadian hospitals reported having an ACS unit. A survey with questions about the organization of the ACS units, the population it serves, the number of emergencies and trauma cases treated per year, and the satisfaction about the implementation of this ACS unit was sent to those hospitals. Results : The survey’s response rate was 73%. The majority of hospitals were tertiary or quaternary centers, served a population of more than 200 000 and had their ACS unit for more than three years. The median number of surgeons participating in an ACS unit was 8.5 and the majority were doing seven day rotations. The median number of operating room days was 2.5 per week. Most ACS units (85%) had an estimated annual volume of more than 2500 emergency consultations (including both trauma and non-trauma) and 80% operated over 1000 cases per year. Nearly all the respondents (94%) were satisfied with the implementation of the ACS unit in their hospital. Conclusion : Most surgeons felt that the implementation of an ACS unit resulted in positive outcomes. However, there should be a sizeable catchment population and number of surgical emergencies to justify the resulting financial and human resources. / Introduction : Les unités de soins aigus chirurgicaux (USAC) sont des unités dédiées à la prise en charge rapide des patients se présentant avec des urgences chirurgicales. Elles ont pour rôle de diviser le service de chirurgie générale afin d’organiser le système de garde en diminuant le conflit entre la prise en charge des urgences chirurgicales et les obligations électives. Nous avions pour objectif de définir les caractéristiques des USAC et de trouver des critères communs aux unités ayant rapporté un fonctionnement efficace et une bonne organisation. Méthodes : En date du 1er juillet 2014, vingt-deux hôpitaux canadiens rapportaient posséder une USAC. Un questionnaire comportant des questions sur l’organisation de leur USAC, la population desservie, le nombre d’urgences chirurgicales annuelles et la satisfaction en lien avec l’implantation de leur USAC leur a été envoyé. Résultats : Nous avons obtenu un taux de réponse de 73%. La majorité des hôpitaux étaient des centres tertiaires ou quaternaires, servaient une population de plus de 200 000 personnes et possédaient une USAC depuis plus de trois ans. Un nombre médian de 8,5 chirurgiens participaient à l’USAC et travaillaient en alternance sur une période de 7 jours. Le nombre médian de priorités opératoires était de 2,5 jours par semaine. La plupart des unités (85%) avait un nombre annuel estimé de plus de 2 500 consultations urgentes et 80% des unités opéraient plus de 1 000 cas par année. La grande majorité des répondants (94%) se disait satisfaite de la création d’une USAC dans leur hôpital. Conclusion : La majorité des chirurgiens affirme avoir vu un impact positif depuis la mise en place de l’USAC. Par contre, pour justifier la création d’une USAC, il semble nécessaire que soient présents un certain bassin de population, un nombre minimal annuel d’urgences chirurgicales ainsi qu’un certain nombre de chirurgiens y participant.

Thesis objectives: The thesis deals with the comparison of wound healing management in acute and subsequent care. The theoretical part presents the knowledge of acute and chronic wounds, wound healing and their phases. Furthermore, the thesis deals with methods of wound treatment. The last chapter of the theoretical part deals with management and the role of a nurse in caring for a patient with a wound. In the empirical part, the first goal was to find out whether nurses from the Hradec Králové Region hospitals know the division and types of wounds. The second goal was to map out the possibilities for nurses to heal wounds. Another aim was to compare the differences between wound healing in acute and subsequent care. The fourth goal mapped the knowledge of nurses about wound healing materials. The following aim was to find out which materials for wound care are available at the hospital of the Hradec Králové Region. The sixth goal was to compare the economic and time-consuming wound healing at the acute and aftercare departments. The last goal of the thesis is to elaborate a seminar within the framework of lifelong education of general nurses on the topic of effective wound healing. Five hypotheses and two research questions were formulated to meet the goals of the thesis. Method for achieving the objectives: The set goals were achieved through quantitative questionnaire research and qualitative observation and interview research, which were chosen to complement the results. The sample included general nurses working in the internal department, the surgical department, the intensive care unit, the anesthesiology-resuscitation department and the aftercare departments in the hospitals of the Hradec Králové region. The total number of respondents was 120. Scientific benefits of the thesis: Overall research shows that nurses have sufficient knowledge of wounds and their treatment, but deficiencies in some areas are still evident. Furthermore, the research shows that nurses do not have enough therapeutic material to work on their workplaces. The interviewed group of general nurses said they think that modern dressing materials have a positive effect on wound healing. The results of the work can be used for practice, in hospital and other health care facilities to improve wound healing. The findings and conclusions: In the tracked file, we verified that the length of treatment of wounds on beds of acute and subsequent care differs (p = 0.002); the results show that the average time of wound dressing is prolonged in subsequent care. Conversely, the availability of dressing materials in the respective departments did not differ (p = 0.159). Furthermore, we found that the economic intensity of the after-care beds is lower, despite the fact that more wound dressings are done than in the acute care.