Effect of introduction of elastic compression bandages on quality of life in patients with lower extremity vascular skin ulcers: a prospective study correlating WOUND-Q patient-reported outcome measures and evidence-based medicine.

BACKGROUND

Evidence-based medicine and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are helpful tools in the wound care field, but few studies correlating quality of life (QoL) changes with objective changes exist.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the QoL changes following the shift from primary dressings alone to elastic compression bandages in patients with a new diagnosis of vascular skin ulcer, and to evaluate a possible correlation between objective and subjective changes.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This study included 122 patients with a new diagnosis of vascular skin ulcer, who had previously used only primary dressings alone. The WOUND-Q was administered at time 0, and after 1 month, 6 months, and 12 months of appropriate compression bandage use. Standardized photographs were taken at the first visit. Group 1 consisted of 51 patients (vascular ulcers of mixed origin), group 2 had 31 patients (arterial origin), and group 3 had 40 patients (venous origin). Software was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The ulcer areas decreased by a mean (standard deviation [SD]) of 4.47 (1.76) cm2, 4.06 (0.73) cm2, and 5.04 (0.34) cm2 for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, to a mean (SD) area of 3.19 (2.94) cm2, 2.23 (1.78) cm2, and 4.79 (2.56) cm2, respectively, at 12 months. Almost all WOUND-Q values tended to improve over time for the drainage, smell, and life impact scales. The Spearman correlation coefficient r value was 0.3430 for group 1, 0.5893 for group 2, and 0.3959 for group 3 for correlation between the delta of areas and the delta of the life impact.

CONCLUSION

Introducing compression bandages improved QoL of patients with vascular skin ulcers. Drainage and smell tended to improve over a 1-year period following the switch. A correlation was found between improvements in ulcer area reduction and improvement in life impact scale data.