By Miranda Henry, Editorial Director of WoundSource

Twenty years ago, WoundSource™ became the first-ever comprehensive wound care reference guide for clinicians. It contained just nine product categories and did not yet include such innovations as hand-held wound assessment systems and cellular-based wound treatments, which have now become a part of standard wound management practice.

WoundSource continues to refine its scope to capture this evolving field of medicine. WoundSource 2017 mailed this month to current subscribers. If you missed this year's subscription sign-up, copies are available through the WoundSource.com Store.

Following are several key areas of the product reference guide that we have improved for users this edition:

Product Category Features

Throughout WoundSource, many calculated changes have been made to the features matrixes in product categories to improve the usefulness of these comparative tools. The Cellular and/or Tissue-Based Products matrix now includes additional details about the product formats, as well as shelf-life stability (page 60 in the print edition). You will also find improvement in the comparative matrixes in the Dressings and Support Surfaces product subcategories, as well as the Wound Cleansers category.

Relocation of Expanding Product Categories

Several key groups of products have been reassigned to make them easier to locate. Wound Care Chairs can now be found in their own standalone category on page 178. At the recommendation of our clinical advisory team, the growing variety of Gelling Fiber Dressings has been assigned to their own subcategory under the Dressings category, found on page 110. Advanced support surface Powered Covers can also be found under their own subcategory on page 168.

New Patient Conditions Categories

New to the Patient Condition index are the sections for At-Risk Patient: Surgical Site Infections (page 23), and Medical Adhesive-Related Skin Injuries (page 37). Be sure to visit our Patient Condition Index on WoundSource.com for expanded information and related product information for the disease states listed in this section of WoundSource.

New Products

For products making their first appearance in WoundSource, we have applied a tag to each of the listings. Please note that we are always gaining participation and accepting updates from manufacturers and the "New" tag may not necessarily represent a product that has just entered the market; it indicates a product that is new to the WoundSource database.

Educational Resources

Of course, you can find expanded information on all the products listed in WoundSource on WoundSource.com, along with robust search and features comparison using our online tools. However, the product reference guide is just one of WoundSource's educational resources. In celebration of our 20-year milestone, we have composed a retrospective piece that "snapshots" the evolution of WoundSource as marked by developments and advancements in the wound care product market.

Reimbursement issues are covered by Glenda Motta, RN, BSN, MPH, WOCN, in her guiding article on HCPCS codes for wound care treatments and products on pages 17-18. We have also included a quick reference guide to wound care product HCPCS codes located on pages 19-20.

What's on the Web

Visit WoundSource.com for access to our expansive library of companion resources including article and white paper downloads, educational events and research content. Bookmark WoundSource.com and check in often—we are constantly adding new information and resources to the site and online product reference guide.

WoundSource wouldn't be the leader in wound care and product information for the past 20 years without the support of its dedicated clinical advisory team, contributors and users like you. Thank you for being a part of the WoundSource community—it is my pleasure to serve you with the latest in wound care product education through this year's edition!

About the Author
Miranda Henry is the Editorial Director of WoundSource.