The Wound Care Symposium, Sweden is the annual gathering where healthcare professionals, speakers, industry experts, and exhibitors meet for a two-day conference under the theme of “hard-to-heal wounds”.
The conference highlights innovations and trends while also emphasizing knowledge and insights into how we currently provide effective care and wound treatment.
The program is filled with topic-focused lectures, and coffee breaks are spent among exhibitors in the exhibition hall showcasing wound care-related products.
One of the popular speakers at the Wound Symposium 2022 was Susanne Dufva. With a long background in healthcare, Susanne is currently a specialist oncology nurse at the Wound Center at Södersjukhuset and serves as the Chair of Wound Nurses in Sweden (SSiS).
During the symposium, Susanne gave several lectures, and we had the opportunity to interview her after her session on “The Wound Healing Process and Dressings.”
Susanne’s extensive experience is evident. She speaks candidly and clearly about wound care, emphasizing, above all, the importance of an established diagnosis before focusing on dressing types. She stresses that there is no single dressing that suits all wounds; rather, the key is choosing the appropriate type of dressing based on the phase of the wound healing process.
“The type of dressing we use matters. We should choose products based on the wound’s appearance and align them with the healing process and its different phases: the hemostasis phase, inflammatory phase, proliferation phase, and maturation phase. It’s important that we don’t use the same product throughout the entire healing journey.”
There are several key factors to consider when selecting a dressing. Susanne explains that the amount of exudate determines which dressing type is appropriate.
“During the early phases—the hemostasis and inflammatory phases—it’s completely natural for the wound to produce a lot of exudate as it cleanses itself. That’s when we need to use a superabsorbent dressing.”
Superabsorbent dressings are designed to handle large volumes of fluid. A high-quality superabsorbent can retain fluid within the dressing, preventing it from remaining in contact with the patient’s skin, making it an excellent choice during the early, cleansing inflammatory phase. Once the wound is clean, exudate levels decrease, and granulation tissue (new skin cells) begins to form, moving the wound into the proliferation phase.
“At this stage, we should use a product that protects the fragile new tissue and doesn’t interfere with the healing process. You shouldn’t need to change the dressing too frequently, and there are many excellent polyurethane foam dressings available for this phase,” says Susanne.
Even after a wound appears healed, it’s vital to continue protecting it. The wound remains in the maturation phase for a long time.
“It can take 1–2 years for a wound to reach full strength and optimal healing. Yes, it really takes that long. Early on, it’s especially important to protect the newly healed skin to avoid accidentally damaging it when, for example, the patient puts on or removes clothing,” Susanne continues.
As a nurse, being observant of the wound’s needs and healing phase provides direction in selecting the most suitable dressing—whether that’s to manage exudate, support an optimal healing environment, or protect the wound.
Susanne also addressed economic considerations during her talk. Both staffing costs and procurement expenses could be reduced in municipalities and regions through increased knowledge of dressings and wound management.
“We often fixate on the unit price of products and dressings. As a result, many facilities decide not to purchase the more expensive options, since the purchase costs seem too high. But this often leads to more frequent dressing changes, because we’re using products that aren’t suited to the patient’s wound”, Susanne explains.
She continues:
“This means patients may need to visit the clinic much more often, or healthcare staff must go to the patient’s home. If we don’t use high-quality dressings, this happens unnecessarily often. The products may be cheap—but they’re not good for the patient.”
Susanne emphasizes that dressings selected based on the patient’s diagnosis and the wound’s healing phase can save both time and resources, whereas an unsuitable dressing may actually prolong the healing period.
“In some cases, the wound may never heal, or it takes far longer than necessary. But most importantly, the patient’s quality of life suffers. No patient should have to endure that unnecessarily.”
She also discusses the current reimbursement model for wound care:
“Today, [in Sweden] we receive reimbursement regardless of whether the patient visits us or we visit them. We’re compensated each time we perform wound care, but there’s no financial incentive for actually achieving wound healing.”
Finally, Susanne highlights the importance of person-centered care, where the patient is at the center.
She notes that healthcare professionals are often quick to offer the best solution, advice, and information—but may forget to first let the patient speak.
“Patients often have a different perspective. They know themselves best, and that’s why I believe it’s important to start with an open-ended question to let the patient explain how things are going. Often, you don’t need to ask many more questions. Their story gives us a great starting point to understand how we can truly help the person in front of us.”
Susanne concludes:
“Listen. Two ears, one mouth. It’s good to listen twice as much as you speak,” she says with a smile.
(This interview was conducted in Swedish and has been freely translated into English.)
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+46 (0)494 77 99 50
info@absorbest.se
Klintvägen 1, 590 39 Kisa
