Chronic wounds and emerging innovations in wound care: an overview

Chronic wounds present numerous challenges for patients and for healthcare systems, including longer hospital stays, pain and discomfort, and increased use of resources and related financial costs. For nurses, chronic wound management can be difficult and sometimes confusing, particularly given the wide range of available products and uncertainty about which is the most appropriate product to use. This article provides an overview of chronic wounds, including the effects on patients and healthcare systems, definitions, risk factors and common types of chronic wounds, and some of the challenges of wound management for nurses. The article also describes some emerging innovations in wound care, including digital wound technologies and regenerative treatments, and outlines their benefits for nursing practice and patients.