Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 May;20(5):1784-1795.
doi: 10.1111/iwj.14021. Epub 2022 Nov 21.

Effect of educational interventions on wound healing in patients with venous leg ulceration: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jasmin Bossert  1 , Johannes A Vey  2 , Lars Piskorski  1 , Thomas Fleischhauer  1 , Sinclair Awounvo  2 , Joachim Szecsenyi  1 , Jonas Senft  1
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Effect of educational interventions on wound healing in patients with venous leg ulceration: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Jasmin Bossert et al. Int Wound J. 2023 May.

Abstract

Educational interventions for patients with venous leg ulceration (VLU) may promote adherence and self-management, however, their effect on wound healing is unclear. A systematic literature search was performed and randomised controlled trials with a focus on educational interventions were included. Wound healing was analysed by assessing wound healing rate, ulcer size, and the PUSH Score. Additional outcomes comprised pain, quality of life, and functional ability. The study protocol for this work is registered at PROSPERO 2020 (ID: CRD42021286152). Nine studies were included in this meta-analysis. The odds ratio for wound healing was 1.91 (95% CI, 0.99-3.67, P = .053) in favour of educational interventions compared to usual care. Ulcer size reduction was higher (MD: -7.22; 95% CI, -11.91 to -2.53, P = .003) in patients following educational interventions. Included studies also showed significant effects on pain, quality of life, and functional analysis, though no quantitative synthesis was feasible. The overall risk of bias showed some concerns. Educational interventions aim to actively involve patients in their treatment, thereby appearing to be able to have a positive impact on wound healing within 12 weeks. Consequently, integrating educational approaches to routine wound care may be a promising strategy to improve treatment of VLU.

Keywords: chronic wound; educational interventions; primary care; venous leg ulcer; wound healing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
PRISMA flowchart
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Forest plot summarising the meta‐analysis of wound healing rate
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Forest plot summarising the meta‐analysis of ulcer size
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Best case analysis—forest plot summarising the meta‐analysis of wound healing rate
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
Worst case analysis—forest plot summarising the meta‐analysis of wound healing rate
FIGURE 6
FIGURE 6
Risk of bias
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Weller CD, Bouguettaya A, Team V, Flegg J, Kasza J, Jayathilake C. Associations between patient, treatment, or wound‐level factors and venous leg ulcer healing: wound characteristics are the key factors in determining healing outcomes. Wound Repair Regen. 2020;28(2):211‐218. - PubMed
    1. Gueltzow M, Khalilpour P, Kolbe K, Zoellner Y. Budget impact of antimicrobial wound dressings in the treatment of venous leg ulcers in the German outpatient care sector: a budget impact analysis. J Market Access Health Pol. 2018;6(1):1527654. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Müller‐Bühl U, Leutgeb R, Engeser P, Szecsenyi J, Laux G. Prävalenz, lokale Komplikationen und Risikofaktoren der Beinvarikose in deutschen Hausarztpraxen. Phlebologie. 2012;41(2):89‐93.
    1. Vowden P, Vowden K. The economic impact of hard‐to‐heal wounds: promoting practice change to address passivity in wound management. Wounds Int. 2016;7(2):10‐15.
    1. Neumann M, Cornu‐Thénard A, Jünger M, et al. Evidence based (S3) guidelines for diagnostics and treatment of venous leg ulcers. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2017;31(9):e386. - PubMed