Wound management for 287 patients with chronic leg ulcers demands 12 full-time nurses Leg ulcer epidemiology and care in a well-defined population in southern Sweden

Objective - To study the prevalence, aetiology and treatment of chronic leg and foot ulcers, and to estimate the nurse's time in wound management. Design - A structured questionnaire with 19 questions about chronic ulcers and wound management was sent to all district and community nurses in the county during 1 week in March 1998. A similar questionnaire has been administered regularly since 1986. Setting - Primary and community care in the county of Blekinge, Sweden, with a population of 151 610. Patients - 287 patients with chronic leg and foot ulcers were identified during the week studied. Main outcome measures - Prevalence of leg and foot ulcers, ulcer aetiology, treatment of ulcers and wound management time. Results - The estimated prevalence of chronic leg and foot ulcers was 0.19%. Venous ulcers were the most common (38%), of which 87% were treated with some form of compression therapy. Seven percent of the nurse's workload was devoted to ulcer care. During the period 1986 to 1998, ulcers with miss...