Keeping practical orthopaedic nursing skills alive: Developing a photographic traction guide

SummaryThis article describes the authors’ journey from observation of poor levels of knowledge and practice relating to the assembly and care of various forms of traction in clinical practice, to the development of a photographic guide. The guide is intended to provide a step-by-step bedside teaching resource to be used at ward level, in the same way that a cookery book guides aspiring cooks through the sequential stages of food preparation. Other practitioners could use similar technology and methodology to create similar guides for their workplace.