OBJECTIVES: Quality of life (QoL) is a subjective phenomenon; meaning it is difficult to assess accurately. There are many instruments to measure QoL; generic tools enable comparisons across interventions and disease areas. The quality of life impact of Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) and Venous Leg Ulcer (VLU) is important to consider, as these wounds can often be long lasting and burdensome for a patient with the need for frequent dressing changes, which can often be painful and cause anxiety.

METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried in multiple treatment centres in the United Kingdom to determine QoL of patients with DFU and VLU. Patients attending clinics as part of treatment were enrolled sequentially, after obtaining consent and data was anonymised at collection. Descriptive statistics of demographic characteristics was undertaken using SPSS version 24. EQ-5D-5L index scores were calculated using Crosswalk analysis. Subgroup analysis took into account wound severity as judged by the duration and size of the wound.

RESULTS: Ninety-four patients completed the study, 42 with a DFU and 51 with a VLU. The mean EQ-5D-5L index score for DFU patients was 0.55 and for VLU patients 0.64. Seventeen (42%) DFUs and 19 (38%) VLUs were classified as severe, these wounds had even lower index scores 0.47 and 0.56 for DFU and VLU respectively.

CONCLUSIONS: These scores indicate that DFU and VLU patients had reduced QoL, with wounds that are older and longer in duration scoring worse; highlighting the need for treatment strategies to avoid this negative progression. Interventions and strategies to treat chronic wounds should consider QoL outcomes for these patients; especially when treating populations with more severe wounds. Interventions that reduce the time to healing for these wounds may help to alleviate the impact of wounds on quality of life for these patients.