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Wound Healing Society
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Health Economics

(HE-010) Small Change, Big Difference: The Comprehensive Benefits of a Dressing Innovation

Friday, May 2, 2025
7:45 PM – 8:45 PM East Coast USA Time
Introduction: Home health agencies in 2024 face staffing shortages and financial constraints, limiting their capacity to meet growing demand. Reduced Medicare reimbursements and nurse burnout exacerbate these challenges. Innovations such as superabsorbent polymer (SAP) dressings offer solutions to optimize wound care while addressing operational pressures. These dressings, supported by clinical guidelines, improve wound management efficiency and patient outcomes.

Methods: This evaluation aimed to assess the clinical efficacy of multilayer silicone border SAP dressing and non-silicone SAP dressing in managing moderate to heavily exuding wounds in home health patients. Secondary aims included evaluating cost-effectiveness, nurse workload, and patient outcomes compared to traditional dressings.

Over 40 days, 13 patients with 19 wounds received multilayer silicone border SAP dressings or non-silicone SAP dressings in place of silicone border and non-silicone foam dressings. The protocol remained unchanged except for the dressing substitution, and data were collected on wound progression, dressing changes, nurse visits, and staff feedback.



Results: Five wounds closed, and wound area decreased by 51%. Dressing changes reduced by 16%, and nurse visits decreased by 10%, saving operational costs and improving scalability. Nurse feedback highlighted ease of application and satisfaction with reduced workload.

Discussion: Multilayer silicone border SAP dressings and non-silicone SAP dressings demonstrated significant clinical and economic benefits, improving wound healing, reducing nurse visits, and enhancing staff satisfaction. These results support SAP dressings as a viable solution for addressing home health challenges, aligning with findings from other healthcare settings.
This evaluation underscores the potential of multilayer silicone border SAP dressings and non-silicone SAP dressings to alleviate the strain on home health agencies by improving efficiency and outcomes. As agencies navigate staffing and financial pressures, adopting innovative wound care technologies is critical for sustainable patient care.