The cost of wound care
Today, wound care remains a significant cost burden on healthcare systems. The estimated annual UK National Health Service cost of wound care is £2.3 billion ($3.77 billion) – £3.1 billion ($5.08 billion). This is equal to three percent of total UK expenditure on health in 2005/06.1
Understanding the key drivers of cost provides opportunities for improving care and reducing overall costs.
Some of the most important determinants of costs include:2
- Increased hospital admissions attributable to wounds
- Delayed discharge
- Nurse time managing wounds
- Frequency of dressing changes
"...the most important component of wound cost overall is the cost incurred by the relatively small number of patients who are admitted to a hospital (or whose discharge is delayed) because of wound complications"2
In a recent wound care audit of approximately 590,000 people (in the United Kingdom), it was estimated that around 80% of total costs are attributable to factors unrelated to the costs of the dressings themselves.2
Simply reducing dressing costs is unlikely to have a significant effect on expenditure.2
To find out more about cost drivers, how dressings with Hydrofiber® Technology contribute to the control of cost drivers and the evidence which supports their effectiveness, please click on the links provided.