Clinical Practice Guideline for Venous Leg Ulcers: Assessment
Assessment of the lower leg to determine and evaluate venous disease and venous leg ulcer (VLU) diagnosis is important to ensure timely and best practice management. This Clinical Practice Guideline presents clinical guidance and implementation considerations for assessment of people with or at risk of VLUs.
This Guideline updates the 2011 Australian and New Zealand Practice Clinical Practice Guideline for Prevention and Management of Venous Leg Ulcers. The Guideline was developed by the Venous Leg Ulcer Guideline Development Committee, which is a collaboration consisting of representatives of the Hong Kong Enterostomal Therapists Association, New Zealand Wound Care Society, Wounds Australia and the Wound Healing Society of Singapore. The Guideline, which focuses on assessment, is the first instalment in a series of guidelines that will also address prevention and treatment of VLUs.
The methodology used to develop this Guideline is included in the appendices. The project team consisted of 19 academic and clinical experts in the VLU field, one consumer and a methodologist. This edition of the guideline was underpinned by an on-line stakeholder survey to collect perspectives from health professionals, industry representatives, people with or at risk of VLUs and their family/whānau/informal carers on topics of priority. This survey was conducted in 2022 and has been previously published. An updated literature search identified research published up to December 2023 that was critically appraised and analysed. New research has been combined with research from the previous edition and project work conducted in 2016. A draft version of this Guideline was made available for public consultation via an on-line survey in mid-2024. A total of 66 people responded with feedback, and these responses were critically evaluated by the project team and informed the final version of the document.
This project was driven by volunteers who have been dedicated in producing this new clinical guidance for health professionals and people with chronic venous insufficiency in the Pan Pacific region. The team has been steadfast and driven by their passion to support the delivery of evidence based wound care for the betterment of lives of people with venous leg ulcers.
Mandy Pagan, Chair, VLU Guideline Committee
Judith Barker, Immediate Past Chair, VLU Guideline Committee
Emily Haesler, Methodologist, VLU Guideline Committee
Clinical Practice Guideline for Venous Leg Ulcers: Assessment PDF
Leg Ulcer Assessment Form
The outdated Leg Ulcer Assessment Form has been reviewed, and information has been updated in accordance with the new VLU assessment guidelines. The document below is a list format of recommendations for assessment, as most organisations format their own documents. A form will also be available here in the near future.
2025 Lower Leg Assessment Form recommendations.
The Leg Ulcer Assessment Form (2015) should be used in conjunction with the Australian and NZ Clinical Practice Guideline for Prevention and Management of Venous Leg Ulcers. This will be replaced with the above 2025 Lower Leg Assessment Form
The form is for competent healthcare professionals trained in leg ulcer assessment to aid leg ulcer diagnosis through history, examination and investigations.
Download the Leg Ulcer Assessment form (PDF)
Disclaimer: The NZWCS does not take any responsibility for any outcomes achieved through using this form. The form is for competent healthcare professionals (HCPs) trained in leg ulcer assessment and does not replace the HCPs clinical judgement in each individual case
