Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Chronic Wounds

Chronic wounds are responsible for exorbitant healthcare costs, poor quality of life, and increased likelihood of associated systemic complications. Platelet-rich plasma is derived from human blood and contains regenerative growth factors that have been proven to promote healing in dermatology, aesthetics, and wounds, more often in traditional care settings. A quality improvement project was implemented to determine if platelet-rich plasma is an effective treatment option for chronic wounds in the mobile setting. All participants voluntarily signed informed consent. Data was collected on three participants (n = 3). The project took place within a mobile clinic that treats patients in their personal residences. All participants had a single wound treated with platelet-rich plasma per the clinic’s protocol for five weeks. The Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool is a valid and reliable tool that was completed at day one, week three, and week six to determine if wound health had progressed with platelet-rich plasma treatments. At the end of project, one wound completely healed, one wound scored significantly lower on the Bates-Jensen Wound Assessment Tool, and one wound worsened with an increased score. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. Overall, platelet-rich plasma proves to be a promising treatment for chronic wounds in the mobile setting. Mobile clinics can benefit from performing platelet-rich plasma treatments on chronic wounds as it decreases wound size and improves healing time, which improves patients’ quality of life and decreases complications and healthcare costs.