The Impact of Patient Health and Lifestyle Factors on Wound Healing, Part 1 Stress, Sleep, Smoking, Alcohol, Common Medications and Illicit Drug Use

This document sets out to understand the prevalence of various health and chronic illness risk factors among those with chronic wounds and how those factors influence healing.
Part 1 provides background information on population health and identifies the risk factors for chronic illnesses that are the focus of this document. Factors including stress, sleep, smoking, medication, illicit drug use and alcohol consumption are explored, all commencing with an understanding of pathophysiology as it relates to wound healing, followed by a review of the literature as it applies to chronic wounds. Evidence of interventions at the level of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to manage these factors and their impact on wound prevention or treatment is limited and thus we will refer to systematic reviews, observational studies and in vitro studies as appropriate.