Principles of Treatment of the Chronic Wound

The effective use of dressings is essential to ensure the optimal management of diabetic foot ulcers. Although there is a wealth of literature on the subject of diabetic foot ulceration, much of this literature signally fails to mention the use of dressings in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers. The reasons are manifold; in the main this may be due to a lack of evidence to support an effect on increasing the rate of healing in diabetic foot ulcers, although there may be other benefits to the patient. The appropriate choice of dressing is an important and integral part of the treatment of the diabetic foot ulcer. This choice should, where possible, be made as part of a interdisciplinary approach to the assessment and treatment of the person with a diabetic foot ulcer.