Introduction: The treatment of complex wounds is an important public health issue. Complex wounds are usually time consuming and costly to treat. The modern dressing application has a significant impact on improvement of wound healing rates, reduction of pain and cost of treatment. In Slovenia, complex wounds treatment cost using modern dressings is covered under the national health insurance. Purpose: The purpose of the study was the cost assessment of management of complex wounds in ambulatory care. Methods: We have conducted the cross-sectional observational study in which we have recorded characteristic of wounds and types and amount of material used for 100 randomly selected patients undergoing ambulatory treatment of complex wounds. The range and average costs of wound care were estimated. Results: The most common diagnosis in patients included in the study were diabetic foot ulcer, arterial ulcer and venous ulcer. In most cases granulation and wound fibrin were present. Modern dressings commonly used were polyurethane foams with additives. The costs of material used were estimated to range from 2,67 to 42,4 euros, while the average cost amounted to 13,41 euros. Discussion and conclusion: The present study is the first cross-sectional observational study for cost assessment of ambulatory treatment of complex wounds in Slovenia and provides a basis for further research in this area. Future studies might include analysis of more types of costs of ambulatory treatment of complex wounds and longitudinal study design.
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