Modelling the direct health care costs of chronic wounds in Australia

Chronic wounds impose large costs on health services. Information about cost is useful for raising the profile of the problem among decision makers and also provides estimates of the savings to health services if the problem is reduced. This study used published data to estimate the direct health care costs of chronic wounds: pressure ulcer, diabetic ulcer, venous ulcer and artery insufficiency ulcer. The present economic study focused on the four categories of chronic wounds. The total cost of chronic wounds was estimated at $2.85 billion annually, with large uncertainty around this estimate. Most of the costs are incurred in the hospital system as compared to community care services, and the most expensive type of wound is pressure ulcer. These data show the costs are large and uncertain. As the elderly population grows, costs are likely to rise unless cost-effective intervention strategies are implemented as a matter of routine.