Comprehensive landscape analysis for usable real-world wound care data.

Area of Science:

• Wound Care Research
• Real-World Data (RWD) Analysis
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Chronic wounds present complex patient cases not fully captured by traditional Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs).
• Real-World Data (RWD) is crucial for developing a scientifically grounded approach to guide future RCTs in chronic wound care.
• The Wound Care Collaborative Community (WCCC) seeks to leverage RWD for improved patient outcomes and clinical decision support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and evaluate available and usable Real-World Data (RWD) sources specifically for US chronic wound care patients.
• To support the Wound Care Collaborative Community's (WCCC) broader objectives in advancing chronic wound research.

Main Methods:

• Employed the B.R.I.D.G.E. TO DATA® methodology for a thorough Real-World Data (RWD) landscape analysis.
• Systematically screened 34 potential data sources relevant to chronic wound research.
• Utilized multiple data elements to assess the suitability and usability of identified databases.

Main Results:

• Identified four clinical US databases with high potential for studying chronic wound natural history.
• One additional database met the criteria but has data access limitations.
• The assessment underscores the complexity of finding fit-for-purpose RWD.

Conclusions:

• Establishing suitable and usable real-world databases for chronic wound research is a significant challenge.
• Only one database was identified as fully meeting the research goals for studying the natural history of chronic wounds.
• Data access restrictions remain a key barrier in utilizing valuable Real-World Data (RWD) for chronic wound research.