Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) are a type of chronic wounds. About 45% of them last for more than 10 years, cause chronic pain, limited mobility, social isolation, limited daily activities, and significantly affecting patients’ quality of life. Even the wounds heal, the recurrence rate are 28 % during the first year and 76% within the five years, respectively for the patients with venous insufficiency and venous hypertension. There are no standard care guidelines for VLUs in Taiwan, thus why motives us to develop the VLUs clinical practice guidelines. This article is based on the four stages of the Appraisal of Guideline for Research & Evaluation (AGREE). The first stage established the scope and purpose of the guidelines and the covered clinical issues. Second, a systematic review method was used to search literature with higher strength of evidence that published before September 6, 2018. Forty-six articles were analyzed which included 3 clinical practice guidelines, 19 systematic reviews and meta-analysis, and 24 randomized clinical trials. Third, with rigorous review, analysis and evidence extraction, the draft of the practice guidelines was constructed. It comprised 43 items and divided into seven domains: 2 items of assessment, 2 items of diagnosis, 6 items of infection control, 3 items of compression treatment, 8 items of wound care, 5 items of surgical treatment and 17 items of adjuvant treatment. In the fourth stage, 10 clinical doctors, 9 specialist nurses, 2 nursing heads and 4 wound care nurses in a teaching hospital in southern Taiwan were invited for the group meeting and answered the practice guidelines feasibility questionnaire. The final practice guidelines comprised 22 items and were categorized into seven domains: 2 items of assessment, 1 item of diagnosis, 4 items of infection control, 2 items of compression treatment, 5 items of wound care, 2 items of surgical treatment and 6 items of adjuvant treatment. The practice guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations that can improve the quality of care for patients with VLUs.
