Nurses called on to bring ‘blind’ wounds to light

Nurses have been urged to stay up to date with wound care and prevention to help reduce the impact of chronic wounds.

Wounds Australia is highlighting the central role that nurses play in the treatment of wounds as part of Wound Awareness Week which runs until 21 July.

The organisation said that many Australians are "blind to wounds" and they often go undetected which can lead to greater complications.

Here with us today to examine this condition is Wounds Australia chief executive Anne Buck.

Buck said many people shied away from seeking medical help due to the look of the wound, for example, or the discharge or odour of the injury.

She stressed that it was imperative to seek the proper treatment before the wound became serious.

Chronic wounds costs the health system $3 billion annually, and the rate of sufferers is expected to rise due to Australia’s ageing population because people aged over 65 are most at risk.