Keywords
social determinants of health
interdisciplinary care
health care
wound healing
How to Cite
Abstract
Noncommunicable chronic diseases represent a growing challenge for healthcare systems, particularly when associated with hard-to-heal wounds (HTHW). These conditions are commonly linked to diabetes mellitus, vascular diseases, and metabolic disorders, leading to high morbidity, economic burden, and impaired quality of life. However, wound healing is not exclusively dependent on biological mechanisms, as social determinants of health such as income, education, housing conditions, and access to healthcare services directly influence treatment outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the contribution of interdisciplinary approaches in the care of patients with HTHW, considering the interaction between clinical and social factors. An integrative literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SciELO databases, including studies published between 2015 and 2023 in English, Portuguese, and Spanish. The findings demonstrated that interdisciplinary care models improve diagnostic accuracy, support individualized therapeutic planning, enhance treatment adherence, and reduce complications. In addition, unfavorable socioeconomic conditions were consistently associated with poorer clinical outcomes and delayed wound healing. Interdisciplinary care is therefore essential to address the complexity of chronic wounds and to promote comprehensive and equitable healthcare.
References
Armstrong, D. G., & Boulton, A. J. M. (2017). Diabetic foot ulcers and their recurrence. New England Journal of Medicine, 376(24), 2367–2375. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1615439
Brasil. Ministério da Saúde. (2020). Linha de cuidado ao usuário com feridas crônicas. Ministério da Saúde.
Ciccone, D. K., et al. (2017). Social determinants of health and wound care: A scoping review. Advances in Wound Care, 6(8), 383–394. https://doi.org/10.1089/wound.2017.0730
Cole, W. (2017). Multidisciplinary wound care: A concept review. Journal of Wound Care, 26(Suppl. 9), S46–S53.
Frykberg, R. G., & Banks, J. (2015). Challenges in the treatment of chronic wounds. Advances in Wound Care, 4(9), 560–582.
Gray, T. A., et al. (2018). Opportunities for better value wound care. BMJ Open, 8(3), e02085.
Guest, J. F., et al. (2017). Health economic burden of wounds. BMJ Open, 7(12), e017498.
Marmot, M., & Wilkinson, R. G. (2020). Social determinants of health (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
McCaughan, D., et al. (2018). Patients’ perspectives on wound care. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 27(5– 6), 939–949.
Nussbaum, S. R., et al. (2018). Burden of chronic wounds. Value in Health, 21(1), 27–32.
Olsson, M., et al. (2019). The humanistic and economic burden of chronic wounds. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 27(1), 114–125.
Sen, C. K. (2019). Human wound and its burden. Advances in Wound Care, 8(2), 39–48.
Weller, C. D., et al. (2020). Role of nursing in wound care. International Wound Journal, 17(3), 543–554.
Whittington, A., et al. (2021). Interdisciplinary care for chronic wounds. Wound Repair and Regeneration, 29(3), 456–466.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2026 Albimara Hey Pereira, Renato Koch Colomby, Rajan Techio de Araújo, Mariangela Gobatto, Maria Albertina Álvares Marques, Guilherme Semionato Galicio, Francieli Assunção, Emerson Carraro, Cassiana de Melo Langer, Aline Tiecher Marin, Ricardo Aparecido Pereira (Author)