Risk factors for the recurrence of venous leg ulcers in adults: A systematic review protocol

Background: Venous leg ulcers are slow to heal, and recurrence is frequent. Living with venous leg ulcers can affect physical and psychological health, and result in financial burden for individuals. Physiological and psychosocial factors are associated with venous leg ulcer recurrence. As over 50% of venous leg ulcers will recur within 12 months of healing, a comprehensive knowledge of holistic risk factors associated with recurrence is required by health professionals involved in the care of the person with venous leg ulcers. Aim: To develop a systematic review protocol to determine the risk factors for recurrence of venous leg ulcers in adults. Method and Analysis: This protocol was developed according to the Preferred Reporting Items Form Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P). The inclusion criteria will be based on the PICOS mnemonicadults with a history of venous leg ulcer/s (participants), risk factor/s under physiological (general/medical), clinical, demographics, psychosocial categories (I (intervention) or E (exposure), venous leg ulcer non-recurrence (comparison group), venous leg ulcer recurrence (outcomes to be measured) and will include study designs of original qualitative, quantitative and mixed method studies (study designs to be included). Methodological quality will be assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. This Systematic Review Protocol was registered in PROSPERO [CRD42021279792]. Results: If meta-analysis is not possible, a narrative review of results will be presented. Conclusions: This systematic review on recurrence of venous leg ulcers can provide evidence-based information for preventive strategies for recurrence of a healed venous leg ulcer. The standardised approach outlined in this systematic review protocol offers a rigorous and transparent method to conduct the review.