In chronic wounds, product conversations often start at the end: which dressing? Yet a dressing is only one part of the care plan. Choices made without understanding why the wound exists usually return as reassessments.
Cause first, product second
Venous, arterial, diabetic foot, and pressure-related wounds may look alike, but their management differs. Circulation, glycaemic control, pressure load, oedema, mobility, nutrition, and pain are assessed together. Selecting a dressing without that picture means managing only the surface.
A framework that helps in assessment
TIME makes it easier to review tissue, infection/inflammation, moisture balance, and the wound edge in a structured way. On the infection side, the IWII continuum (contamination → colonisation → local → spreading → systemic) reminds teams not to treat colonisation automatically as infection.
- Which tissue predominates in the wound bed?
- What is the exudate volume and its effect on peri-wound skin?
- Are there covert infection signs, and what is the monitoring plan?
- Is the edge advancing; is there maceration or undermining?
Then the product category
Once the need is clear, the category is clear: atraumatic contact, moisture support, exudate management, cavity packing, clinically justified antimicrobial dressing, peri-wound skin care, and fixation. Category-level counterparts are on the wound care page.