Negative Pressure Wound Therapy An update for clinicians and outpatient care givers

What is it about?

In 2015 EWMA established an interdisciplinary working group with the objective of preparing a guidance document about Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) including its use in clinical practice, as well as its implications for organisation of care, documentation, communication, patient safety and patient perspective, and health economic aspects. This document was published in 2017 with the title Negative Pressure Wound Therapy: Overview, Challenges and Perspectives. 1 By late 2020, talks began about updating this document with the aim of creating a shorter, more easily accessible document, to focus on recent developments and utilisation of the NPWT technology, as well as utilisation of the NPWT technology outside of the hospital setting. The timing coincided with the COVID19 pandemic which provided a new focus on treatment of patients at home or outside of hospital settings, but also impacted negatively on the writing by channelling focus and attention towards urgent tasks in the healthcare system. Work on the document was resumed in 2022, leading to a key session presentation at the EWMA-CICA 2022 conference.2 While continuing work on preparing the current document, the author group has also hosted a key session with a full room at the EWMA 2023 conference.3

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