Abstract: Objective: To construct a nurse-led postoperative wound management model and apply it to the clinical practice. Methods: We established mechanisms for nurse-led surgical wound management and constructed a three-level nursing management team. We developed a scientific guideline, identified the principle of surgical wound management and the responsibilities of the personnel involved. The nurses' compliance rate to the guideline, the satisfaction of doctors, nurses and patients towards the model, infection rate of type I surgical wound, as well as the knowledge and wound dressing change skills of nurses were evaluated after the implementation of the model. Results: The annual nurses' compliance rates to the guideline between 2016 and 2019 were greater than 90.0%. From 2015 to 2019, the infection rates of type I surgical wounds were 0.19%-0.42%, respectively, which were lower than the national hospital infection control standard (≤1.5%). The satisfaction of doctors, nurses and patients towards nurse-led surgical wound management was 96.48%, 80.01%, 94.38% respectively. Nurses' knowledge of surgical wound management had improved significantly (P<0.001) after the training. One hundred percent nurses reached the standards of wound dressing change skills. Conclusion: The nurse-led surgical wound management model can meet the clinical needs of surgical wound management, provide patients with safe and high-quality wound care, expand the scope of nurses' work, and enhance the connotation of nursing work.

Key words: nurse; surgical wound; management model; nursing quality audit