prescribed. Gerrish and Lacey (2006) stressed the importance of the nurse’s actions, which must be research based when delivering care. Nurses need to be fully aware of up-to-date, relevant and creditable research to ensure patient safety. Nurses are accountable for patients and are therefore required to act in their best interests. If the nurse believes that the prescribed care is or may be harmful to the patient then he or she must discuss this with relevant medical staff. There is little research evidence on which to base the management of skeletal pin sites. However, to improve the assessment and management of pin sites and patient outcomes, there is a need to develop standardised and evidence-based protocols to minimise the inconsistencies in care that have been highlighted in the literature.