More frequent visits to wound care clinics result in faster times to close diabetic foot and venous leg ulcers.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether patients with Wagner grades 1 and 2 diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) or venous leg ulcers (VLUs) differed in terms of time to close depending on visit frequency to wound care centers.


METHODS
Retrospective cohort study.


METHODS
Outpatients wound care centers.


METHODS
Two hundred six patients with Wagner grade 1 or 2 DFUs and 215 patients with VLUs in the lower extremities collected from 9 wound care centers in 5 states (6 states for VLUs) during 2009/2010 and whose wounds had closed.


METHODS
For each type of DFU/VLU, 1 group had every-other-week visits, defined as more than 10 days between visits in the first 4 weeks, whereas the other group had weekly visits, defined as at least once a week.


METHODS
Median time to close.


RESULTS
For patients with DFUs, 63.8% of wounds had closed in the weekly visit group after 4 weeks compared with 2.0% in the every-other-week group (P = 2.3 × 10); for patients with VLUs, 78 of 105 wounds (52%) closed in the weekly visit group compared with 0% in the every-other-week group (P = 2.40 × 10). After controlling for all covariates in a Cox regression model, median time to close for weekly patients was 28 days versus 66 days for patients seen every other week. Adjusted median times to close VLUs in the same groups were 25 versus 55 days.


CONCLUSIONS
More frequent visits can be extremely beneficial, with implications of lower costs and higher quality of life for patients.
Healogics, Inc, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
Robert A
RA
Warriner
James R
JR
Wilcox
Marissa J
MJ
Carter
Deborah G
DG
Stewart
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D017719:Diabetic Foot / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014647:Varicose Ulcer / Q000628:therapy*; D014945:Wound Healing