An evaluation of shared wound care using a developed toolkit and a high-performance foam dressing

Workforce shortages and a growing wound caseload of >3.8 million patients per annum in the UK demand innovative models of care which also consider initiatives to deliver net zero healthcare and promote sustainable models of care. Shared wound care (SWC) strategies-patients participating in their own wound management- offer promise despite limited research into their success. This evaluation assesses real-world implementation of SWC using a published framework, educational toolkits, and five-layer dressing with change indicator (ALLEVYN, Smith+Nephew, UK).

A two-phase evaluation took place across community primary care sites-two in the UK and three in Ireland. Data were collected to determine suitable patients with wounds for SWC (phase A), with phase B measuring success using quantitative and qualitative measures, including visit frequency, success rates and clinician perceptions of SWC.

Phase A reviewed 168 wounds, and 43.5% of wounds were considered suitable for SWC. Barriers to SWC included physical limitations and wound complexity. Phase B followed 130 wounds through the evaluation, 97.7% of which successfully adapted to the new care model. Visit frequencies reduced by 59.3% (p<0.001) across all patients and by 72.1% (p<0.001) when the five-layer dressing was used. High engagement (82.2%) in patients was observed with provided toolkits. Environmental and economic benefits included reduced travel times (211 hours) and distance (945 miles) weekly across the 130 patients evaluated.

This evaluation demonstrated the feasibility of SWC when introduced in a proven educational style with appropriate toolkits and dressings. Broader testing and long-term outcome studies are now warranted to scale up implementation.