Predictors of Nurses' Postoperative Wound Care Practices in a Resource‐Limited Setting: An Observational Study

AIM: To identify factors influencing nurses' postoperative wound care practices relative to dressing management, patient education and wound care documentation in a Sri Lankan tertiary care hospital. DESIGN AND METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted from June to August 2025 across general surgery wards in a 3000-bed tertiary hospital in Sri Lanka. Participants included a consecutive sample of 250 postoperative patients and a convenience sample of 63 registered nurses interacting during wound care activities. Nurses were observed multiple times, and patients were observed once. Data were collected through semi-structured observations and chart audits using validated data collection tools. Mixed-model analyses were performed to identify the predictors of dressing management, patient education and wound care documentation based on the distribution of each outcome. RESULTS: The multivariable linear mixed model analysis identified female sex, previous wound care training and having a second nurse to assist as significant predictors of nurses' dressing management practices. The multivariable generalised linear mixed model analyses showed that previous wound care training and outpatient status significantly predicted patient education delivery, while inpatient status was the only significant predictor of wound care documentation. CONCLUSION: These findings highlight the need for coordinated efforts in training, adequate staffing, regular and structured patient education and structured documentation tools to strengthen nurses' postoperative wound care practices in resource-limited settings. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Targeted training focused on evidence-based wound care and patient education, as well as establishing structured wound care documents for both inpatients and outpatients in resource-limited settings, would facilitate delivery of high-quality care for postoperative patients. IMPACT: This study identifies factors influencing nurses' postoperative wound care practices, providing a foundation for targeted interventions to standardise postoperative wound care quality in resource-limited settings. REPORTING METHOD: Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.