Undertaking leg ulcer research in primary care

Leg ulcer care has become a flagship for evidence based practice, although for years it was based on a mixture of intuition, improvisation and tradition. Recent systematic reviews and the resulting clinical practice recommendations (NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination 1997, RCN Institute Centre for Evidence Based Nursing University of York and School of Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting University of Manchester 1998), have established a strong foundation for quality nursing care–to the extent that leg ulcer practice has become a touchstone of the quality of nursing care and is a primary focus of the ongoing National Sentinel Audit.