Management of malodour in palliative wound care

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defined palliative care as: 'an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification, and impeccable assessment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual'.

Palliative wound care involves care of patients who have long-term, potentially life-limiting, or single/multiple illness of any aetiology, which may result in the development of altered skin, such as pressure ulcers, leg ulcers, cellulitis or wound infection. ¹ In this context, it is proposed that life-limiting may mean months or years.