Volume 33 Number 3

Wound Practice and Research is a world leading journal addressing wounds, wound healing and tissue repair. The primary aim of the journal is to reduce the burden of wounds through improved knowledge and practices. We start this editorial with a reflection on the week that has passed. For another year Wound Awareness Week was an exciting time and opportunity to raise awareness of the chronic wound problem in the community and also an opportunity to call for action through a number of important events.

One such event was the Canberra meeting of the peak bodies, industry partners and government, with Minister for Health and Ageing Mark Buttler, where Wound Awareness Week Ambassador Prof Fiona Wood, together with the Wounds Australia Board and other participants, proposed solutions to address Australia’s chronic wound problems. This included presenting a roadmap to eradicating chronic wounds, which consists of better education across the nation, upskilling aged care workers and building sector consensus as key pillars of a 5-point plan.

This edition of the journal includes a variety of topics critical for addressing the problem of chronic wounds. This includes a research article by Manewell and colleagues bringing new insights through a qualitative exploration of patient and carer experiences in managing diabetic foot ulcers. This research could guide future research and interdisciplinary service planning to improve the care for people living with diabetic foot ulcers. There is aslo a research article by Alshammari that highlights the need for structural training and targeted education of community pharmacists to enhance interprofessional collaboration in wound care. Parker and colleagues present an important scoping review on research methodology providing information from which to standardise terminology, enhance communication, and improve both research and clinical outcomes in wound care. A systematic review and meta-analysis from Teng and colleagues explores the multiple advantages of using polyhexanide to accelerate wound healing, for its antimicrobial activity and for reduced pain compared to other treatments. Lastly, a review by Ousey and colleagues, highlights that antimicrobial stewardship programs have reported several positive clinical patient outcomes including a reduction in surgical site infections and antimicrobial resistance. the authors highlight that further research is needed to further understand the impact of stewardship programs on patients with chronic wound infections.

With a goal across our sector to focus on sustainability in our relationships with trade partners, the community, and our membership, Wounds Australia has recently undertaken a review of the WPR distribution method. The review acknowledges a desire from some to move away from printed material, as it involves paper resources, printing, postage and distribution handling costs, and because some members prefer electronic editions to print.

Therefore, in line with addressing sustainability and our environmental impact, from the first edition of the WPR in 2026 we will be moving to an opt-in system for current members who want to receive physical copies of the journal.  For those who don’t opt-in and ask for a hardcopy, a digital version of the journal will be made available electronically via the Wounds Australia Website. Your membership profiles in December will be set to receive WPR as a digital or soft copy only. To opt-in for a physical copy you will need to self-select through your active membership profile. Further instruction will be provided in December.

We trust that you will find this issue an interesting read, and we look forward to receiving future high-quality submissions, enabling us to share knowledge, advance research and improve clinical care for those affected by chronic wounds.

Author(s)

Peta Tehan and Zlatko Kopecki
Editors, Wound Practice and Research