A summary of a clinical evaluation of the management of moderate and highly exuding wounds with a superabsorbent primary dressing

Introduction & Aim:

Superabsorbent dressings are designed to manage excessive wound exudate. Fluid handling is of high importance, however factors such as patient comfort, usability, and cost effectiveness must be considered. To better understand overall dressing performance, a 101 patient clinical evaluation was conducted of SAP dressing use as a primary dressing to manage moderately to highly exuding wounds.

Method:

The SAP dressing was assessed through the completion of evaluation forms. District Nurses completed one 11 question form per patient about their experience of managing wounds with the SAP dressing. The forms were designed to account for patient safety, patient experience, and effectiveness of care.

Results:

The aetiology of majority of wounds was ulcers, with all wounds recorded as moderately to highly exuding. The SAP was the primary dressing on all wounds.

Exudate management properties were ranked with a median score of 8/10 compared to the previous dressing (10 being very well managed, and 0 being not managed).

The condition of the surrounding skin during treatment was given a median score of 7/10 (10 being reduced maceration, and 0 being increased maceration).

Patients rated the dressing at 7.5 for comfort and 8 for convenience. Reduced maceration and reduction in exudate were noted as clinical benefits, along with improvements to wound healing in terms of increased granulation tissue or reduction in wound size.

98% of clinicians were happy to continue using the dressing as their choice of SAP citing patient comfort, high absorption, patient concordance and a reduced number of visits as reasons.

Conclusion:

Appropriate use of SAP dressings can reduce dressing changes, and improve patient and clinical outcomes for chronic wounds on the lower leg.  This evidence shows the SAP evaluated provided effective patient care, and a positive patient experience.