CWS Content Outline

View the outline below by expanding the list. You may view the results of the National Job Task Analysis Study of the CWS HERE.

1. Wound Healing Environment
   1. Anatomy and Physiology
      1. Integumentary
      2. Musculoskeletal
      3. Vasular
      4. Neurological
      5. Lymphatic
   2. Wound Healing
      1. Phases
      2. Cell function
      3. Acute vs. chronic
2. Assessment and Diagnosis
   1. History
   2. Physical Examination
   3. Wound and skin assessment
   4. Pain assessment
   5. Risk assessment
   6. Functional asessment
   7. Laboratory/imaging
   8. Nutrition
3. Patient Management
   1. Wound bed preparation/debridement
   2. Dressings
   3. Skin substitutes
   4. Topical agents
   5. Complications in repair (including bioburden)
   6. Nutrition
   7. Biophysical technologies
      1. Electrical stimulation
      2. Ultrasound
   8. Compression therapy
   9. Negative pressure wound therapy
   10. Oxygen therapy
   11. Pressure redistribution (i.e. offloading)
4. Etiological Considerations
   1. Neuropathy
   2. Diabetes
   3. Venous insufficiency
   4. Ischemia
   5. Pressure ulcers
   6. Lymphedema
   7. Trauma
   8. Surgical complications
   9. Atypical wounds (i.e. malignancy)
   10. Dermatological
   11. Infectious
   12. Burns
5. Professional Issues
   1. Documentation
   2. Patient adherence
   3. Legal Concepts
   4. Reimbursement and medical economics
   5. Medical ethics (i.e. palliative care, reasonable expectation of outcomes)
   6. Multidisciplinary teams
   7. Epidemiology
   8. Evidence based practice and research

In addition to classifying by topic (above) items will be classified by task. Tasks that are eligible for assessment include:

1. History and Physical Examination Tasks
   1. Obtain history of present illness to include wound duration, causative event, previous treatments, medications and patient comorbidities
   2. Obtain vital signs
   3. Assess:
      1. Circulatory system
      2. Integumentary system
      3. Musculoskeletal system
      4. Neurological system
      5. Limb volume
      6. Pain level
      7. Tissue oxygenation
      8. Wound bioburden
      9. Wound characteristics
2. Evaluation and Diagnosis Tasks
   1. Determine classification of the wound using:
      1. Wagner scale
      2. NPUAP (i.e. Stages I-IV, unstageable, suspected deep tissue injuries)
      3. Rule of Nines
   2. Perform risk assessment
   3. Determine wound severity
   4. Review or interpret laboratory and imaging tests
   5. Assess barriers to wound healing
   6. Determine wound etiology
3. Treatment Tasks
   1. Establish goals
   2. Perform techniques to cleanse and reduce bioburden
   3. Debride the wound
   4. Apply dressings to the wound
   5. Manage at-risk skin and periwound
   6. Apply compression therapy
   7. Use advanced therapeutic adjunctive treatments
      1. Negative pressure wound therapy
      2. Ultrasound
      3. Hyperbaric oxygen
      4. Electrical stimulation
   8. Apply offloading device for the lower extremity
   9. Use support surface for pressure relief/reduction
   10. Address the nutritional needs of the patient
   11. Address pain management issues
   12. Manage bioengineered tissue
   13. Use advanced topical therapeutic agents (i.e. becaplermin, collagenase)
4. Follow-up Care Tasks
   1. Discuss and review the plan of care
   2. Educate patient/family/caregiver on disease management and prevention
   3. Monitor laboratory values
   4. Monitor pharmacologic use (i.e. indications, side effects)
   5. Refer patients to consultants/specialists
   6. Perform complete wound care documentation
5. Professional Practice Tasks
   1. Stay current on government reimbursement guidelines
   2. Coordinate wound care continuum of care
   3. Understand methodology and strength of evidence related to research
   4. Follow confidentiality and security regulations