Biofilm

An understanding of what biofilm is and how to manage it is important as the presence of biofilm in wounds are thought to delay wound healing. It is estimated that biofilm is present in 60–100% of all non-healing wounds (Malone et al, 2017).
 
Currently, there is no easy diagnostic test to detect the presence of biofilm in a wound. It is therefore important to understand how biofilms form, how to assess for their presence, and how to treat chronic wounds where biofilm is suspected to be contributing to delayed healing.
 
These skills are key in order to promote timely healing, improve patient outcomes and avoid the costs of wound chronicity to the NHS.