Chronic wounds are defined as those that have failed to heal after three months. There are various intrinsic and extrinsic factors that may result in the development of chronic wounds, including comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and venous insufficiency, and lifestyle factors such as obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking. Chronic wounds represent a significant burden on healthcare resources and can have a negative effect on patients’ quality of life. This article discusses the assessment and treatment of non-healing chronic wounds. It examines the normal wound-healing process and the management of chronic wounds, including advanced interventions such as electrical stimulation therapy, negative pressure wound therapy and various dressings. This article does not focus on specific wound types; instead, it provides an overview of the factors that can lead to the development of chronic wounds and how these wounds can be managed in clinical practice.
Nursing Standard. 32, 29, 48-63. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e10829
Correspondencee.chamanga@sgul.kingston.ac.uk
Peer reviewThis article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software
Conflict of interestNone declared
RevalidationPrepare for revalidation: read this CPD article, answer the questionnaire and write a reflective account: rcni.com/revalidation
To write a CPD articlePlease email tanya.fernandes@rcni.com. Guidelines on writing for publication are available at: rcni.com/writeforus
Received: 09 February 2017
Accepted: 09 October 2017
or
Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now
Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more