Timescaled monitoring to manage venous leg ulcers and chronic oedema

Venous leg ulcers, chronic oedema and lymphoedema are lifelong conditions that cause great distress to individuals due to physical symptoms and often poor mental health associated with social isolation and depression (Jones et al, 2006). Time and resources spent on managing chronic wounds place an economic burden on healthcare providers, particularly with an anticipated increase in an ageing population and diminishing numbers of those providing long-term care. This is highlighted in the joint report by the Royal College of Nursing and The Queen's Nursing Institute (QNI), which has indicated a 43% decline in district nurses over the last 10 years (Fanning, 2019). Worryingly, these figures are likely to have declined further with the QNI recording district nurse workloads far exceeding capacity of services (Penfold, 2020). Resources are further challenged if wounds remain unhealed, with costs calculated at 1.35% higher than that of healed wounds (Guest et al, 2017); furthermore, wounds failing to heal at 4 weeks have been predicted to remain unhealed after 8 additional weeks of treatment (Cardinal et al, 2008). The national cost of treating a venous leg ulcer was estimated at £102 million, with an annual cost at £4787.70 per person (Urwin, 2022). The human costs are even greater, with patients often facing a lifetime of discomfort due to low awareness of venous disease, despite epidemiological studies. In a study of 561 patients, Carradice at al (2011) have raised concerns about demonstrable mortality from venous disease and finding impairment with venous ulceration to be comparable to that of persons with cardiac failure and chronic lung disease.