GS32 - Wound Care Modalities in a Low Resource Setting: A Systematic Review

Introduction/Purpose:

Introduction: The proportion of the American population with comorbidities that lead to complicated wounds such as diabetes has continued to increase. This has been exacerbated by America's inequitable access to healthcare which was illuminated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Novel wound care modalities for wound healing and infection mitigation have been developed and should be reviewed for their feasibility in a low resource setting.



Objective: To evaluate available literature on novel wound healing and infection prophylaxis modalities and their potential feasibility within underserved populations.

Methods or Case Description:

Methods: Adhering to PRISMA guidelines, a primary search was conducted in three databases (Pubmed, Web of Science and Embase) on June 5th, 2022, for all relevant literature using terms related to wound care, cost and accessibility. Eligible manuscripts were required to: (1) report the presence of an existing or proposed treatment for wound care; (2) have full-text English-language access; and (3) could potentially provide a more effective, accessible and affordable option to current treatments. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment tool for randomized trials was used to assess quality of the studies

Outcomes:

Results: The initial literature search produced 4051 references. After duplicate removal, 3011 articles underwent title and abstract screening. This yielded 213 articles eligible for full-text review that resulted in 157 articles, which were included in qualitative analysis. Of the included studies, 103 out of 157 explored novel wound care modalities. Within the 157 articles, 54 explored infection prevention modalities in wound healing. The heterogeneity of the sample excluded the sample from being eligible for meta-analysis.

Conclusion: Conclusions/Relevance: The available literature reviewed thus far consistently supports the existence and potentiality of novel treatments for wound care that are likely more affordable and accessible than current first-line options. The goal of this systematic review is twofold. First, to review the novel modalities that have been developed for wound care prophylaxis. Second, to provide additional information to patients within the underserved population on the potentiality of affordable and efficacious novel wound care treatments. This review will provide necessary information about treatment options for low income patients with wounds needing care.