Chronic Wound Management
The LBVC Chronic Wound Initiative aims to streamline the way we provide care for people living with chronic wounds to improve the experience of receiving and providing care, enhance outcomes for patients and optimise the use of resources.
Wounds can result in long term pain, decreased mobility, lost productivity and reduced physical and psychological wellbeing.
Chronic wounds include skin tears, pressure injuries, autoimmune/dermatological conditions, diabetic foot ulceration, compromised surgical wounds and leg ulcers.
The incidence of complex and chronic wounds is high across the NSW health system, and continuing existence of a wound has a significant impact on the quality of life for patients, carers and families. Wound management can form a significant expense for patients and health services.
Patients who are admitted to hospital in NSW for chronic wounds have complex needs. More than two thirds of these patients are aged 65 years or over and 65% have two or more comorbidities.
Patients living with chronic wounds often have multiple visits to hospital, with each patient having on average nearly three admissions to hospital with a wound.
There is significant overall burden associated with treating chronic wound in admitted, emergency department and non-admitted acute settings, with total costs over the next ten years expected to reach $3 billion.
