Understanding and addressing dryness during wound healing

Timely wound healing supports positive outcomes for both the patient and the clinician. The cause of a non-healing wound needs both identifying and addressing. A dry wound bed will result in a lengthy healing process, impacting both the patient and the clinician, physically and financially. It is imperative to correctly identify the cause of a non-healing wound and address the causative factors using evidence-based best practice. A non-healing wound may be attributed to various factors, such as inappropriate dressing, lack of hydration, medication or underlying medical disease. Identification of the cause will support the most appropriate management choice. In order to explain the issues of a dry wound, it is imperative that the clinician first has an understanding of the concept of moist wound healing.