Silver dressings are antimicrobial dressings.  They are used to prevent or manage infection in a wide range of wounds. 

The silver component in the dressing can appear in different forms:

• as a coating on the outside of the dressing;
• within the dressing structure (e.g. as a compound that forms a part of the dressing structure); or
• as a combination of these forms.¹

When you’re treating an infected wound, international best practice recommends using the ‘clean and cover’ approach.² This approach involves two steps:

1. Cleanse and debride the wound. This will remove some, but not all, of the biofilm. It also creates a window of opportunity for the antimicrobials to act effectively.
2. Cover the wound with an antimicrobial (e.g. silver) dressing.³

A 2017 meta-analysis of clinical evidence found that using silver to treat infected wounds resulted in:

• better wound healing;
• improved quality of life; and
• good cost-effectiveness.¹