Achieving effective patient outcomes with PolyMem® Silicone Border

Wound management continues to present complex challenges for clinicians, and numerous factors are involved in achieving appropriate and effective wound care (Gibson and Stephens, 2013). Several national frameworks have been introduced to improve patient outcomes, efficiencies and cost effectiveness, while addressing suboptimal wound care, including the National Wound Care Strategy Programme (NWCSP) (2020), Getting it Right First Time (NHS Improvement, 2017) and Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (NHS England, 2021).

Every year, new products are introduced into the dressings market. As far back as 2017/2018, the annual cost to the NHS for managing wounds was £8.3 billion, of which £2.7 billion and £5.6 billon were the costs associated with managing healed and unhealed wounds, respectively (Guest et al, 2020). Therefore, cost effectiveness and measurable clinical outcomes have become a strategic focus, although cost is not the only issue that should be considered when choosing a dressing; patient acceptability of the products is equally important. Wound treatment modalities should be selected based not only on their ability to facilitate healing but also on their impact on patient quality of life (QoL) (Kapp et al, 2018).