A Systematic Review of the Cost-Effectiveness of Interventions for Chronic Wounds

Abstract

Chronic wounds present a significant challenge to society and have a negative impact on the quality of life and daily activities of patients. This review aimed to identify the cost-effectiveness of the currently used care alternatives for the treatment of chronic wounds. This study serves to identify cost-effectiveness boundaries and provide a basis for determining the cost-effectiveness of the proposed care alternatives. A systematic literature search was conducted in compliance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Articles published on Web of Science and PubMed from June 2013 to June 2023 were included. A comparative analysis was performed using the data adjusted for inflation and transformed for the same time horizon. The median time to heal was approximately 2.5 months in the first quartile of studies ending at 1.3 months and the third quartile ending at 3.7 months. The average cost of complete chronic wound healing for all care alternatives in the study sample was $6435, with a median cost of $5814. This systematic review covers a diverse range of treatment alternatives, their health effects and costs and highlights the complex landscape of cost-effectiveness in the treatment of chronic wounds. Trial Registration: PROSPERO database under registration number: CRD42023434074. © 2026 The Author(s). International Wound Journal published by Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.