Malvern, PA, September 8, 2008 - The Association for the Advancement of Wound Care (AAWC) is leading the development of guidelines for the global treatment of wounds and lymphedema at the request of the World Health Organization (WHO). The collaboration will significantly enhance the delivery of modern wound and lymphedema care to resource-poor countries. Recommendations have been provided by AAWC to WHO in the form of a White Paper entitled, Best Practice Recommendations for Wound and Lymphedema Management.  To be published in six languages, the recommendations will provide the foundation for educational programs and clinical practice guidelines for providers and organizations around the world.

An initial draft of the recommendations was accepted by Kingsley Asiedu, MD, representing WHO, at a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on March 5-6, 2008.  Site visits in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania are scheduled to enable further translation of the White Paper into applicable clinical guidelines. Pilot studies will be conducted to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of the final recommendations.

Chronic wounds are considered the new “Hidden Epidemic” affecting large portions of the world’s population. Lymphedema affects over 300 million people. In resource-poor countries, the education and tools to prevent and manage these problems are often lacking. 

AAWC’s outreach program entitled, “AAWC Global Alliance” seeks to establish partnerships with other organizations in order to advance the practice of wound care in resource-poor areas. This new partnership with WHO will significantly advance AAWC’s global mission.

Additionally, AAWC, in partnership with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), will be developing teaching templates for future volunteers who will train health professionals in resource poor areas to implement evidence-based treatment plans. These templates will provide strategies for teaching health care providers at primary, secondary and field levels.     

Contributors to the White Paper include Chairman John Macdonald, MD – USA; Mary Jo Geyer, PT, PhD – USA; Robert Kirsner, MD, PhD – USA; Terry Treadwell, MD –  USA; Laura Bolton, PhD - USA; William Ennis, DO – USA; Gary Sibbald, MD –  Canada; Heather Orstead, RN – Canada; David Keast, MD –  Canada; Terrence Ryan, MD –  England.