Undertaking a person-centred assessment of patients with chronic wounds

Abstract

Wounds have traditionally been classified as acute or chronic. While this classification is useful when attempting to estimate healing times, it might lead to an acceptance that some wounds will take longer to heal or might not heal at all. Chronic wounds can adversely affect patients' quality of life, and the management of these wounds may involve significant healthcare resources and costs. Chronic wounds rarely develop in healthy individuals and are often associated with pre-existing conditions that complicate wound healing, such as diabetes mellitus and vascular disease. This article discusses how acute wounds and chronic wounds are differentiated. It details the phases of wound healing and identifies potential barriers to progression through these phases. Enhancing nurses' understanding of chronic wounds will enable them to identify any potential barriers to wound healing early and remove or ameliorate them. While a holistic assessment should also include a thorough assessment of the wound itself, this is beyond the scope of this article.

Measurement of wound area for early analysis of the scar predictive factor

“…Often disguised as a comorbid condition, the chronic wound represents a vicious cycle and a silent epidemic that affects a large fraction of the world population (5) . It imposes a significant and often underestimated burden on the individual, the health system and society as a whole (3,5) due to the significant cost of medical assistance and duration of treatment (1,13) .…”

“…Chronic wounds have a significant impact on the health and quality of life of patients (1) and their families. They cause pain, loss of function and mobility, depression, anguish and anxiety, embarrassment and social isolation, financial charges, prolonged hospitalizations, chronic morbidity and death (5) .…”

“…Wounds may be classified into acute and chronic ( 1 ) . Acute wounds are those that have a controlled inflammatory response, responding predictably to the recommended treatment.…”

Implementation of the policy on standard protocol for care of septic and aseptic wounds in selected public health facilities in Ghana: an analytic case study

“…For instance, in the United Kingdom (UK) the National Health Service (NHS) is reported to have managed an estimated 2.2 million patients with wounds between 2012-2013. The annual NHS cost of wound care varied between £1.94 billion for managing 731, 000 leg ulcers and £89.6 million for managing 87, 000 burns, and associated comorbidities [17][18]. Also, cost per healed wound ranged from £698 to £3,998 per patient and that of an unhealed wound ranged from £1,719 to £5,976 per patient [18].…”

The clinical impact of hydroresponsive dressings in dynamic wound healing: Part I

“…2,3 These wounds can undergo changes in their properties-despite not showing progress towards healing-making them a significant clinical challenge. 4 Indeed, the wound may have contradictory periods where the overall wound trajectory can be healing, or alternatively, deteriorating. 5 As hard-toheal wounds are dynamic rather than static, each wound can present with a range of conditions over a period of time, such as varying exudate levels, fluctuations in inflammation intensities, infection levels and levels of devitalised tissue.…”