AMA submission on new standards for wound prevention and management now public

The Australian Health Research Alliance and its member, the WA Health Translation Network, are leading a national project to update the Australian Standards for Wound Prevention and Management 2016.  

The AMA has welcomed the opportunity to comment on the draft Australian Standards for Wound Prevention and Management 2022.  

The AMA’s submission acknowledges enhancing the provision of quality wound care is an important issue as the evidence indicates that approximately 450,000 Australians currently live with a chronic wound. 

The AMA says this costs the health system around $3 billion a year, and many wound care providers and patients - due to inadequate funding of the costs of care - struggle to provide and access optimal care. 

The AMA acknowledges the Standards are a comprehensive overview of best wound care practice across many clinical settings. However, to be implemented and supported by the AMA as something GPs may be expected to sign up to as a prerequisite to any enhanced funding for wound care, a more focused set of standards appropriate to general practice will be required.  

The AMA suggests the Australian Health Research Alliance work with the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) to ensure general practices wanting to access any enhanced funding for wound care can demonstrate they meet the standards for best practice wound care. 

You can read the AMA’s full submission here.