Clinical and Economic Impact of Wound Care Using a Polyurethane Foam Multilayer Dressing

OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of a newly introduced dressing on efficiency and quality of care in routine clinical practice in a Spanish community setting. DESIGN AND SETTING: An ambispective multicenter observational study was conducted in 24 primary care centers and 6 nursing homes in 4 different Spanish regions. The study was carried out between November 2017 and March 2019. PATIENTS AND INTERVENTION: A total of 128 wounds in 94 patients (primary care, n = 79; nursing home, n = 15) were analyzed before and 4 weeks after switching to the study dressing. OUTCOME MEASURES: Frequency of dressing changes; secondary outcomes were change in the mean wound area and weekly cost and patient and provider satisfaction. MAIN RESULTS: The mean number of dressing changes was significantly reduced with the study dressing from 3.14 +/- 1.77 changes per week to 1.66 +/- 0.87 (P < .001), a 47.1% reduction in frequency. Wound area significantly reduced from 9.90 +/- 19.62 cm(2) to 7.10 +/- 24.33 cm(2). In addition, a 58.7% reduction in weekly costs was achieved with the intervention. Patients and providers agreed that their satisfaction with wound care improved. CONCLUSIONS: The use of the study dressing in routine clinical practice could lead to a major improvement in both efficiency and quality of wound care. Its use could reduce wound care-related costs through improvements in healing and a reduced frequency of dressing changes. It also enhanced the wound care experience from the perspective of both patients and providers.

Automated summary

The study showed that the use of a newly introduced dressing significantly reduced the frequency of dressing changes, decreased wound area, lowered weekly costs, and improved satisfaction among both patients and providers, which could lead to a major improvement in efficiency and quality of wound care in routine clinical practice.