Management of wounds in clinical practice in the UK: clinical outcomes and costs

<p>Julian Guest</p>

Management of wounds in clinical practice in the UK: clinical outcomes and costs

Julian Guest

Kings College London, UK

: J Regen Med

Abstract

The ‘Burden of Wounds’ study estimated that the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) managed 2.2 million patients with a wound during 2012/2013 and that the annual cost of managing these wounds and associated comorbidities was £5.3 billion. The study also estimated that the prevalence of wounds is growing at the rate of 11% per annum. Consequently, if this growth rate continues unchecked, the NHS could be managing an estimated 3.7 million patients with a wound in 2017/18 costing in the order of £8-9 billion. Nevertheless, the annual prevalence of wounds is likely to be increasing at different rates in different parts of the country. The presentation will highlight some key findings from the ‘Burden of Wounds’ study and more recent analyses on the clinical outcomes and costs of managing different wound types. Unwarranted variation in wound management in both clinical practice and controlled trials will also be discussed. The presentation will also review how the findings from the ‘Burden of Wounds’ study formed the basis of a debate in Parliament on developing a national strategy for improving the standards of wound care in the NHS, and influenced the Government’s policy on wound management.