Acute and chronic wounds: differences in self-reported health-related quality of life

Seventeen patients (10 female) with acute wounds (pilonidal sinus) and 32 patients (19 female) with chronic wounds (venous leg ulcers) attending a specialist wound clinic completed a condition-specific health-related quality of life (HRQoL) tool on two occasions five to seven days apart. The ratings from the two groups were statistically different for two sub-scales, with those with acute wounds rating themselves more positively. There were no differences between the groups for overall HRQoL or satisfaction with HRQoL--although there was a trend for those with chronic wounds to rate their overall HRQoL as higher than those with acute wounds, possibly indicating adaptation to their health status. While possible demographic and aetiological differences must be borne in mind, the tool used in this study appears to be sensitive to different types of wound.