title: Wound care costs in general practice - a cross-sectional study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The management of wounds presents a significant burden to healthcare services, consuming a large amount of resources. This study aimed to determine the cost of wound care in general practice by conducting an audit of current wound management practices.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen general practices collected data on wound care episodes over a period of 14 days during December 2011.
  
  
  RESULTS
  For most of the 332 wound care episodes, the total cost was greater than the total income, resulting in a net loss to the practice. General practitioner care was the greatest contributor to the total cost and the overwhelming majority of income was from Medicare Benefits Schedule billing items.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In most cases, general practices are not recouping the costs of wound care. There is a need for policy makers and general practices to review wound care funding and practices to ensure equitable best practice care is being provided.
authors.affiliation: MBA, BJSc, former Research Assistant, Focus Health Network, Maroochydore, QLD.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Whitlock
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Morcom
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Spurling
authors.forename: Tina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Janamian
authors.forename: Seamus
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ryan
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D058006:General Practice / Q000191:economics*; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D008485:Medical Audit; D014456:Ulcer / Q000191:economics / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics* / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000628:therapy*