In 1993, members of the newly formed West Australian Wound Care Association organised a national conference, titled Turning wound care upside down. This meeting was held in Perth, and delegates came from all over Australia as well as from overseas to learn about the latest research for the prevention and management of wound care. This was the very first meeting of what was then to become the Australian Wound Management Association, now known as Wounds Australia. A legacy of this first meeting was the decision to establish Primary Intention, The Australian Journal of Wound Management. Twenty-five years and 100 issues later, Primary Intention, now known as Wound Practice and Research, is still being produced, read and appreciated by the Wounds Australia membership and readers from all around the world.
One of the founding members of the West Australian Wound Care Association was Professor Keryln Carville. Keryln is a key opinion leader and expert in the wound management field and has been a stalwart supporter of the journal since its inception in 1993. Twenty-five years later, Keryln is still as proficient and as insightful as she was back in the early 1990s. In this issue of the journal you will find two articles involving Keryln and her teams of wound care professionals. The first describes a three-year retrospective study aimed at evaluating the use of low-frequency ultrasound debridement in the management of people with chronic wounds attending nurse practitioner coordinated Advanced Wound Assessment Services. The second paper, led by Robyn Rayner, details the importance of developing preventative strategies to reduce the risk factors associated with developing skin tears in aged care residents. Both these papers and the other three articles from equally esteemed authors and contributors showcase the quality and international relevance of our journal today. From the study investigating the use of citric acid for treating wound infections, to the literature review of maggot debridement therapy to the use of topical calcineurin inhibitors for the treatment of chronic wounds. All show that, while much has changed over the last 25 years, our core values are the same in that we remain committed to continue publishing high-quality, original, peer-reviewed papers that are a valuable source of reference for Australian and international wound care professionals. To quote an unknown source, “We’re not getting old, We’re getting better”.
Author(s)
Professor Allison Cowin
Editor Wound Practice and Research
