Quality of life study in Wound Care. Final report

In recent decades the aging of the population has led to an increase in chronic conditions responsible for various complications such as chronic skin lesions (CSL). The data provided in the literature indicate an incidence of CSL up to 3% but, in fact, little is known about the real impact of the different types of ulcers and we know even less about the quality of life and social status of the affected citizens. By quality of life we refer to the subjective perception that an individual has of their physical and psychologicalemotional health, of the position they have in life in the context of the environment within which they live and in relation to their expectations and concerns. It is a very broad concept that includes physical and psychological health, degree of independence, social relationships, personal beliefs and their relationship to the principal characteristics of their environment. Their health status is therefore influenced by so-called social determinants and their understanding and evaluation is critical to the development of new social and healthcare policies. In order to evaluate the influence of social determinants on the genesis of CSL and the role that lesions have in the physical-psychological condition of patients, in January 2014 the AIUC (Italian Association of Skin Ulcers) and Simitu (Association for the rights of patients with chronic skin lesions) launched the study "Quality of life study in wound care", a survey on the quality of life of patients suffering from CSL, whose final results are presented in this publication.