A group of 18 European wound care specialists were surveyed in March 2020 on the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wound care and their clinical practice. The panel expected inadequate wound diagnosis, delays in treatment, increased wound infection and inflammation and increased patient hospitalisations as a result of national lockdowns and redeployment of clinical staff to the acute setting. Seven specialists were followed up nearly a year later in January 2021 to ascertain the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic on wound care. To overcome the main challenges of the pandemic, the group proposed that supporting and educating carers offers an opportunity to improve patient care.
