Wound dressings: principles and practice

Knowledge of clinically and cost-effective wound management is an obvious requirement for surgeons, yet wound care education rarely features within the medical curriculum. As a result surgical trainees are often poorly placed to join in multidisciplinary wound management and may feel threatened when asked to manage wound complications. A vast range of dressing products exists yet robust evidence of the function and effectiveness of individual products is often lacking. An understanding of wound pathophysiology, a defined treatment goal and regular wound assessment combined with knowledge of basic wound dressing categories will provide guidance on product selection for different clinical situations and wound types.