Traumatic wounds are a common reason for patients to attend emergency departments. There are many ways of managing these wounds from glue to suturing. The authors conducted a patient survey to identify the outcome measures most important to patients after closure of traumatic wounds. The results showed that having the least chance of infection was the most important outcome, followed by being looked after by caring staff and a quick recovery. These finding were consistent regardless of the anatomical location of the wound or age of the patient. This information is being used to guide the authors in the most appropriate outcome measures for further research.
Keywords: soft tissue injury; wounds; wounds, infection; wounds, treatment.
Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.