French national wound management survey: choice criteria of dressings.

Across Europe, wound care management is organized differently, and in some countries such as the UK or Denmark, wound healing centres have been implemented. In France, a large number of health professionals are not sufficiently educated in wound care management during their vocational training. The rapid evolution of dressings has changed wound management practices and has given rise to new professional recommendations. This national survey was carried out in France in 2009, including 465 health professionals, to determine the criteria they use to choose a dressing and their habits of care with acute or chronic wounds. Around 73% of respondents were nurses and, on average, participants took care of 43 wounds per month. It was also found that 89% of the health professionals who took part prefer the sequential treatment of the wound based on its appearance. Regardless of whether the wound is acute or chronic, the priorities for wound care and the choice of dressing are the management of the exudate and the prevention or treatment of infection. These results put into evidence the adequacy of the recommendations by these practitioners and the good correlation between the choice of dressing and the local therapeutic goal. To reach the same level of expertise, the professional training for health professionals who are less frequently involved in wound care is necessary.