What is a wound?

A wound can be described as a breakdown in the protective function of the skin. Usually following trauma, such as a fall, surgery, force or as the result of disease.

Wounds can generally be categorised into two areas. Simple wounds, also known as acute, or hard to heal wounds, sometimes known as chronic.

Simple wounds are expected to pass through the normal phases of healing. Whereas hard-to-heal wounds, can become stuck in an inflammatory phase, which results in slow, or incomplete wound healing process.

Wound assessment is important for all wound types.

A simple wound is generally the result of a sudden injury to the skin. They can range in depth and can happen anywhere on the body. Simple wounds generally heal quickly and follow a predictable wound healing process; but remember simple wounds can become hard to heal if they're not managed correctly. The average healing time for a simple wound can vary, but ususally you would expect a simple wound to heal between 14 and 28 days.

Now lets move on and look at hard to heal wounds. A wound will be classed as hard-to-heal if it hasn't healed within 30 days following treatment. In hard-to-heal wounds, the normal healing process is disrupted, either due to the wound not responding correctly to treatment or the physical health of the person.

Generally hard to heal wounds, will fall into one of the following wound types: 

• Pressure Ulcers
• Lower limb Venous Arterial Ulcers
• Diabetic Ulcers