The WHO emphasise the important role of education and training, integrated standards of care, communication and team work in achieving a robust patient safety culture within health-care services. Importantly, wound infection is intrinsically linked to patient safety. Guest et al estimated that that the annual prevalence of chronic wounds in the UK is growing at the rate of 12%. Further, the growth in wound prevalence arises due to delayed wound healing, often due to increased rates of wound infection. Worryingly, 30% of all wounds being managed lacked a differential diagnosis. It is timely, therefore, to review our achievements in the prevention and detection of wound infection. This presentation will provide an evidenced based overview of the epidemiology of wound infection, aiming to understand what difference we are making, in view of the significant financial investment in this field of wound care.
