Research in Clinical PracticeIntroduction to portfolioThe research articles to be critiqued relate to the author's area of ​​practice; community nursing and in particular; the cost-effectiveness of community clinics for leg ulcers. The author currently runs a legulcer clinic and an overview of the research that underpins their cost-effectiveness would be helpful in his quest to provide evidence-based practice consistent with the principles that underpin governance clinical. The management of venous leg ulcers has progressed considerably over the last decade. This is due to a variety of factors ranging from increased knowledge of the etiology of leg ulcers to more recent developments, such as dedicated leg ulcer clinics (Dowsett, 2004). However, it is concerning that nurses and organizations justify leg ulcer clinics based on uncontrolled studies and narratives (Bosanquet et al, 1993; Fletcher, 1995; Stevens et al, 1997; Thorne, 1998 ; Audit Commission, 1999). It has been widely suggested that the establishment of community leg ulcer clinics could increase leg ulcer cure rates and standardize care (Moffatt et al, 1992; Simon et al, 1996; Stevens et al, 1997). However, research on their cost-effectiveness is extremely limited. As interest in health care research increases, the number of definitions and explorations of the topic has increased. Most definitions of research follow a similar theme, with the search for knowledge emphasized as a fundamental reason for undertaking research studies (Clifford, 1997). Cormack (2000) defined research as an attempt to increase the sum of what is known through mid-paper findings. BMJ, 312, 1648 - 1651. Simon et al (2004) Management of venous leg ulcers BMJ Online, Vol.328 (7452) 2004. [Online]http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full /328/7452/1358 (accessed January 2005). Stevens J, Franks PJ, Harrington M, (1997) A community/hospital regulatory service. Journal of Wound Care. 6, 2, 62 - 68. Tingle J and Cribb A, (2002) Nursing Law and Ethics. 2nd ed. Oxford, Blackwell Science. Thorne E, (1998) Community leg ulcer clinics and effectiveness of care. Journal of Wound Care. 7, 2, 94 - 99. Thurlby K and Griffiths P, (2002) Community leg ulcer clinics versus home visits: which is more effective?. British Journal of Community Nursing. 7, 5, 260 - 264.Valente S, (2003) Critical analysis of research documents. Journal for Staff Development Nurses. 19, 3, 130 - 142.