TIONAL-COMMITTEE-ON-WOUND-MANAGEMENT-WORLD-COUNCIL ON COST-EFFECTIVE WOUND CARE

The International Committee on Wound Management (ICWM) was established in 1992 in response to a growing awareness of the confusion surroundi ng the subject of wound management, and draws on wound healing experts from around the world. The third meeting of the ICWM attracted expert s from 20 countries in Lisbon, Portugal, February 17-19, 1995. Surgeon s, dermatologists, family doctors, nurses, and health economists from around the world have, for the first time, agreed on a method to measu re cost effectiveness of wound care. There is concern that the adoptio n of newer, more effective treatments are being delayed because suppli ers and wound care professionals lack consistent methods for showing t hat their treatments are actually cost effective. The ICWM members exp lored the foundations which researchers should use to compare therapie s and management plans. Among the problems they faced was how to inclu de the value of pain relief or the restoration of mobility in cost eff ectiveness calculations. They agreed on an economic model which compar ed treatment and management plans by quantifying the resources spent ( direct and indirect cost) for achieving particular parameters of succe ss outcomes determined in a specified period. They believe their model can be used to measure cost effectiveness of treatment based on heali ng and other parameters of success and can be applied in all countries of the world. The ICWM encourages healthcare professionals to adopt a unifying model and language of cost effectiveness for accurately comp aring wound care practices, locally, nationally, and internationally. The model is proposed as a starting point from which to work.