Wound Care Research: The Imperative for Increased Federal Funding
Summary: The Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders argues that federal investment in wound care research is urgently needed. Despite the field’s growth and evidence-based treatments, chronic wounds continue to impose deadly and costly burdens—yet receive alarmingly low research funding compared to lower-prevalence conditions.
Key Highlights:
- Over 15% of Medicare beneficiaries suffer from non-healing wounds—more than those affected by heart failure—yet research funding remains limited.
- Chronic non-healing wounds have a higher mortality rate than breast or colon cancer, and often lead to fatal infections if untreated.
- Federal research dollars for wound care approximate those for Lyme disease—despite the latter affecting a much smaller portion of the population.
Read the full advocacy piece from AWCS
Keywords:
federal funding,
wound care research,
Medicare beneficiaries,
mortality rate,
Alliance of Wound Care Stakeholders