Centers of wound care

Therapy of patients suffering from chronic wounds is symptom oriented; however, causative diagnostics and an interdisciplinary approach are mandatory. More than 90% of chronic wounds of the lower extremities are associated with arterial or venous diseases, sometimes in combination with diabetes mellitus. Cooperation between nurses and physicians and adequate documentation of the healing course are mandatory. The German Vascular Society (DGG) and the German Dermatology Society (DDG) favor a certification within already existing centers to keep additional certification processes practicable. General care provision, however, needs to be organized apart from hospital structures. The structure of centers of wound care has been shown to lead to economically optimized and improved medical quality of care.