Wound Dressings & Wound Healing – Changing Philosophy

Early pre-clinical and clinical research in the 1960s started to define the idea of moist wound healing and the benefit in optimizing wound healing.  The concept that a wound that is kept optimally moist will have better outcomes than one that is allowed to dry out.

Moist Wound Care Dressings

The concept of moist wound care began to receive serious consideration in the late 1970s and 1980s. Prior to this time, drying of the wound was accomplished by several mechanisms:  the use of povidone iodine as a drying agent, heat lamps, wet-to-dry dressings, and leaving the open wound exposed to air.  Transparent film dressings and hydrocolloids were the first widely used dressings that addressed moisture retention. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s there was an explosion in the realm of dressing products. Alginates, hydrogels, and foams appeared on the market in a wide variety of products. The concept of passive dressings began to change. Dressings were becoming active in their role to change the wound milieu in the healing process. The advent of growth factors and other biosynthetics such as collagen began the movement to an interactive dressing.

Cellular Level Wound Healing

Today, research and development is being focused at the cellular level. Interactions of the cellular components within the chronic wound environment and how interactive dressings can alter the wound milieu is putting dressing technology on the cutting edge. What is next may be limited only by our understanding of how the body changes from a normal healing environment to a chronic wound environment, our technological ability to create products and our imagination on how to get there.

Wound Management Advancement

Gaining wound certification can be a highly effective way to learn more about all aspects of wound management, including the importance of a full patient examination and patient history. Wound certification demonstrates a commitment to the area of wound care, helps in day-to-day wound management tasks, and improves career prospects.

Learn More With Our Wound Care Education Options

Interested in learning more about wound care and certification? Browse through our wound care certification courses for information on our comprehensive range of wound care education options to suit healthcare professionals across the full spectrum of qualifications and experience.