| Summary: | Aim To compare the characteristics of patients with venous leg ulcers (VLU)s managed with low compression therapy in an acute care wound clinic at tertiary hospital setting versus those managed without compression in a community home care setting Method This retrospective study reviewed medical records of VLU patients managed in the community home care setting and acute care wound clinic setting between January 2016 and December 2018. Characteristics of these patients receiving care of their VLUs in two different settings were evaluated. Data on patients' medical history, demographics, and healing days were extracted from electronic records. Results A total of 142 patient records were extracted and analysed, of which 73 were from the community home care and 69 from acute care wound clinic in a tertiary hospital. On average, patients had 1.48 ulcers (SD=0.85) from the community care and 1.59 (SD=0.84) from the acute care wound clinic. Factors such as ambulatory status, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and anemia significantly affected VLU healing. Ulcer healing within 90 days was observed in 25 patients (34.2%) from community care, compared to seven patients (10.1%) from the acute care wound clinic. Conclusion This study highlights differences in VLU patient profiles across care settings, suggesting that community patients managed without compression may have less complex needs. Further research including clinical factors like wound size and duration is needed to better guide treatment strategies.
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