Welcome to the eighth edition of the Product Guide to Skin & Wound Care! Your special contribution to wound care is always at the forefront of my efforts each time I revise this worldwide clinical reference and showcase the latest skin and wound care products. I continually strive to bring you the most up-to-date clinical product information and reference materials, and this edition continues with that same tradition-to provide you with relevant information necessary to support the “delicate balance of art and science” in skin and wound care.

We all know that chronic wounds take an emotional toll on patients and their caregivers. As clinicians and physicians, we often feel frustrated and confused when faced with certain skin and wound care options-whether attempting to choose an appropriate product to use on a specific wound type, deciding to change to another dressing to provide the best direction for the wound healing process, determining how to illustrate the wound's progress through appropriate documentation, or providing the best way to benchmark outcomes based on care practices. As dedicated professionals, we find ourselves looking for the best guidance, most reliable tools, and ready answers.

The answers, as it turns out, are commonly found through the delicate balance of art and science: Art as it refers to the skill and application techniques utilized when applying the preferred management modality, and Science as it refers to the health care team member's knowledge and understanding of the disease process and the preferred modality used in managing the patient. Art and science, the fundamental tools of skin and wound healing, directly impact the patient's clinical and financial outcomes.

This edition of the Product Guide to Skin & Wound Care focuses solely on the importance of a complete skin and wound care formulary. The section on “Skin Care Products” covers skin cleansers, moisture barriers, antifungal/antimicrobial treatments, therapeutic moisturizers, liquid skin protectants, and other skin care products of interest. Separate sections on “Dressings and Devices” and “Drugs” provide cutting-edge choices for formulary development. Debuting in this edition is “Cellular and Tissue-based Products” as a separate category.

Numerous new products have been introduced within the wound care categories highlighted in these sections. In addition, references for individual products can be found within each product page, if provided by the manufacturer.

Included in this edition are hundreds of individual wound care product profiles and photos. Each profile describes the product in detail, including the product's form, available sizes, actions, Indications and Contraindications, and application and removal instructions. Photos are displayed on each page, whenever possible. HCPCS codes and sizes are also displayed, when available. Every attempt has been made to accurately detail the product's information. It remains the clinician's responsibility to review each product's insert prior to using the product to ensure accurate and timely information.

Additional dressings and products for effective skin and wound management section details compression bandage systems, as well as various gauze dressings, tapes, wound cleansers, and more. HCPCS codes and sizes are displayed, when available.

The book concludes with a comprehensive list of the manufacturer's websites for your reference.

New products are being introduced to the market all the time. In an effort to have the most up-to-date product information available for you at your fingertips, we have included new products (that were unable to be in the printed book version) within the ebook version only. These can be accessed on the VitalSource ebook and are indicated in the table of contents with an electronic icon . Instructions for accessing these products can be found on the inside front cover.

Product Guide to Skin & Wound Care, eighth edition, continues to prove to be an essential skin and wound care reference for all team members. Use this book as either a “bedside” or “desk” reference when caring for your patients.