Safe debridement in the community

Patient choice and 

involvement

It is important to involve the patient in 

any decision regarding debridement of 

his or her wound. Informed consent 

requires qualified professionals to discuss 

the nature, indications, benefits and 

risks of debridement with patients. This 

conversation should include a discussion 

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of various debridement options and 

potential outcomes for debridement 

techniques, e.g. reduction in risk of 

wound infection and the possibility 

of the wound becoming larger in size 

(Haycocks and Chadwick, 2012). 

All too often, the choice of 

debridement technique is made 

by the practitioner and is limited 

by their past experience, skill-

set and availability. Rarely is the 

patient an active participant in the 

debridement process, however, 

with the new debridement option 

— Debrisoft — the patient and/

or carer is able to undertake the 

debridement process themselves, 

allowing for full participation in the 

procedure. However, this will not be 

feasible for all patients, but offers an 

exciting development in self-care (a 

video showing Debrisoft in action 

can be accessed at http://www.

activahealthcare.co.uk/products).