Self-care and postoperative dressing management.

As the increasing burden on healthcare costs continues to rise, posing clinical and financial challenges for all healthcare providers attempting to provide optimal, evidence-based wound care, the situation appears to be reaching the tipping point with regard to reduced resources, increasing patient groups with complex wounds and financial restraints. It is clearly time for action and new ways of working that include empowering patients and carers to take appropriate ownership within their personal wound-care journey. This observational evaluation explores 10 community-based patients presenting with postoperative acute surgical wounds; it examines and evaluates the patients' experience with regard to self-care satisfaction, Leukomed Control product satisfaction and actual traditional/personal costs incurred up to a 4-week period. The evaluation highlights not only an overall positive improvement within patient satisfaction and experience, alongside optimised wound progression and related cost savings, but also offers a valuable insight into the promotion and success of patients taking ownership of their wound-care journey.