Palliative Wound Care. Recommendations for the management of wound-related symptoms.

This document aims to answer the call from WHO in developing resources for clinicians in Palliative Care (PC) and will review each of these wound-related symptoms as well as provide clinicians a set of up-to-date recommendations for practice. For this document, we will refer to palliative wound care (PWC) as an umbrella term to represent the three categories of wounds requiring a palliative approach:

1. Healable wounds (healing possible and feasible)
2. Maintenance wounds (healing possible, in theory, but may not be feasible)
3. Non-healable wounds

Palliative wound care focuses on symptom management rather than healing, addressing pain, odour, exudate, bleeding, and itching to improve patient comfort and quality of life. The WHO highlights a significant gap in palliative care access, making structured guidelines essential. A new European Task Force definition emphasizes holistic, interdisciplinary, and patient-centred care, applicable to wounds that may heal, may not heal, or are too burdensome to treat. This document provides evidence-based recommendations for managing wound-related symptoms in palliative settings.

The European Wound Management Association (EWMA) developed this document to provide evidence-based recommendations for HCPs managing wound-related symptoms in palliative care.

Please login to download the document

The following recommendations are targeted at clinicians, educators, policy makers and industry:

• There must be a continuous focus on the needs of patients requiring a palliative approach to wound care and this focus should include input from patients and family members on how they can be addressed.
• There is a critical need to develop and test interventions for the management of major wound-related symptoms including pain, odour, exudate, itch and bleeding.
• Education on the principles of palliative wound care should be included in all wound care curricula, whether at undergraduate or postgraduate levels.
• Further education for all clinicians on how to enhance the nutritional status of the patient should be considered.
• Ensure care plans prioritise patient and family preferences, emphasising symptom relief and quality of life, and actively involve patients and caregivers in decision-making and goal-setting.
• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration among healthcare providers, including dietitians, psychologists, social workers and palliative care specialists, to address the complex needs of patients.
• Advocate for robust clinical research to develop and validate new products and techniques for managing palliative wound symptoms and collaborate with industry to promote innovation in wound care solutions.
• Address the psychological and social dimensions of wound care by providing emotional support for patients and caregivers, aiming to reduce caregiver burden and enhance coping mechanisms.
• Develop national and institutional policies to ensure equitable access to palliative wound care resources and training.
• Collaborative efforts should be encouraged among healthcare providers, educators, and policymakers to develop standardised guidelines and best practices for palliative wound care.
• Research funding should be allocated to explore novel and cost-effective treatment options for symptom management in palliative wound care.
• Industry should be engaged in the development of innovative wound care products that address the unique challenges of palliative wounds, such as managing pain.
• Regular audits and evaluations should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of palliative wound care interventions and to identify areas for improvement.
• Telehealth services should be leveraged to provide remote support and monitoring for palliative wound care patients, ensuring timely interventions.
• Advocate for the equitable distribution of advanced wound care materials, such as specialised dressings and odour-neutralising agents, to improve patient outcomes.

Gethin G, Kottner J, Lamza A, Meaume S, Megal C, Conde Montero E, Rawlinson F, Ryan H, Probst S. Palliative wound care. Recommendations of wound-related symptoms. J Wound Management, 2025(26 Sup1):S1-40. doi: 10.35279/jowm2025.26.01. sup01