CWS Certified Wound Specialist 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which finding on a wound culture is most clinically significant when determining treatment for a chronic wound?
- Any growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis
- Polymicrobial growth with no clinical signs of infection
- Growth of beta-hemolytic Streptococcus at any level (Correct answer)
- Light growth of Candida species
Correct answer: Growth of beta-hemolytic Streptococcus at any level
Beta-hemolytic Streptococcus (Groups A, B, C, G) is pathogenic at any level and consistently associated with impaired wound healing and clinical infection.
Question 2: A patient with a sacral pressure injury has a wound packed with necrotic tissue that cannot be visualized to the base. How should this be staged?
- Stage 3
- Stage 4
- Unstageable (Correct answer)
- Suspected deep tissue injury
Correct answer: Unstageable
When the depth of a pressure injury cannot be determined due to slough or eschar obscuring the wound base, it is classified as Unstageable.
Question 3: Which skin substitute is classified as a bilayered living cellular construct containing both dermis and epidermis?
- Oasis wound matrix
- Apligraf (Correct answer)
- Dermagraft
- Integra
Correct answer: Apligraf
Apligraf is a bilayered living cellular construct with a bovine collagen dermal layer seeded with human fibroblasts and an epidermal layer of human keratinocytes.
Question 4: In the care of a patient with lymphedema and a wound, which intervention is the cornerstone of treatment?
- Elevation alone
- Complete decongestive therapy (CDT) (Correct answer)
- Application of a hydrocolloid dressing
- High-dose diuretic therapy
Correct answer: Complete decongestive therapy (CDT)
Complete decongestive therapy (CDT), including manual lymphatic drainage, compression, exercise, and skin care, is the standard of care for lymphedema management.
Question 5: Which assessment tool uses six subscales—sensory perception, moisture, activity, mobility, nutrition, and friction/shear—to predict pressure injury risk?
- Norton Scale
- Waterlow Scale
- Braden Scale (Correct answer)
- PUSH Tool
Correct answer: Braden Scale
The Braden Scale assesses six subscales to predict pressure injury risk, with lower scores indicating higher risk (score ≤18 considered at risk).
Question 6: A patient develops callus formation around a plantar neuropathic ulcer. What is the primary reason to debride the callus?
- Callus improves pressure distribution and should be preserved
- Callus beneath the surface harbors bacteria that cause osteomyelitis
- Callus increases plantar pressure by up to 30% and impedes wound healing (Correct answer)
- Callus removal is purely for patient comfort
Correct answer: Callus increases plantar pressure by up to 30% and impedes wound healing
Callus acts as a rigid foreign body that increases focal plantar pressure by up to 30%, impeding epithelialization and contributing to ulcer persistence.
Question 7: Which electrophysical modality uses electrical stimulation to promote wound healing by mimicking the body's natural 'current of injury'?
- Ultrasound therapy
- Electrical stimulation (e-stim) (Correct answer)
- Photobiomodulation (low-level laser therapy)
- Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy (PEMF)
Correct answer: Electrical stimulation (e-stim)
Electrical stimulation mimics the body's endogenous bioelectric current of injury, promoting cell migration, proliferation, and angiogenesis to enhance wound healing.
CWS Certified Wound Specialist 5
Which finding on a wound culture is most clinically significant when determining treatment for a chronic wound?