Europe faces a growing chronic wound crisis – time to act is now

Across Europe, up to 14.9 million people suffer from chronic wounds, placing a significant and often overlooked burden on patients, caregivers and health systems1,2,3. Chronic wound care consumes up to 4% of European healthcare budgets, driven by delayed diagnosis, prolonged treatment, preventable complications and workforce strain2.

Despite this scale, chronic wounds remain under-recognised in policy and are often treated as secondary concerns, even though conditions such as diabetic foot ulcers carry a five-year mortality rate comparable to certain cancers4. The white paper underscores that no wound begins as chronic, but becomes chronic when prevention, early intervention and coordinated care fall short.

To address these challenges, the white paper identifies three priority areas for reform:

• Prevention and patient-centered care, prioritising holistic, evidence-based approaches that enhance patient wellbeing and promote shared decision-making.
• Workforce capacity, investing in multi-disciplinary teams, standardised training, and digital tools to make treatment more efficient and improve patient outcomes.
• Policy and system-level coordination, aligning reimbursement and procurement with patient outcomes, supported by stronger real-world evidence.

Building on these priorities, the white paper outlines four recommendations for coordinated action among policymakers, clinicians, payers, patient organisations, and industry:

1. Making wound care a strategic priority
2. Strengthening education and optimising workforce capacity
3. Aligning reimbursement and procurement with value and outcomes
4. Accelerating innovation and scaling real world evidence

Mölnlycke strongly supports these recommendations, emphasising the need to overcome fragmentation of care, strengthen clinician education and invest in prevention to reduce chronicity.

“Chronic wounds are preventable, yet patients continue to suffer because care is fragmented and intervention comes too late. By prioritising prevention, strengthening clinician training and building integrated pathways, Europe can dramatically improve outcomes and reduce avoidable burden on patients and healthcare systems,” says Isabella Notarangelo, Governmental Affairs and Policy Manager at Mölnlycke as well as Co-Vice Chair of the MedTech Europe Wound Care Sector Working Group. Isabella added “This white paper provides a clear roadmap, now it’s time for policymakers to act.”

As Europe moves toward outcome-focused care models, Mölnlycke believes value-based healthcare is the most sustainable path to prevention, earlier diagnosis, fewer complications, more efficient care and better patient outcomes.

Read the full white paper: Shaping the future of wound care in Europe https://www.medtecheurope.org/resource-library/shaping-the-future-of-wound-care-in-europe/ 

For more information, please contact:

Jamie Smith

Media Relations

Email: jamie.smith@molnlycke.com

Phone: +46 723 757507