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The Role of Nutrition in Wound Care, Prevention and Healing:...
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The Role of Nutrition in Wound Care, Prevention and Healing: From Acute Trauma to Chronic Conditions

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 5 January 2026 | Viewed by 4266

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Ching Shan (Angela) Wan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. School of Translational Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC 3004, Australia
2. National Health and Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence in Wiser Wound Care, Griffith University, Gold Coast 4222, Australia
Interests: knowledge translation; health services research; value-based care; interdisciplinary collaboration; culturally appropriate care; chronic disease prevention and management
Dr. Mandy Ho

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Nursing, the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Interests: prevention and management of lifestyle related diseases with a major focus on obesity; insulin resistance; prediabetes and diabetes nutrition assessment health promotion and education systematic review and meta-analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Adequate nutrition and hydration are essential to maintaining skin integrity and accelerating tissue repair and wound healing. Conversely, insufficient nutrient intake, dehydration, and protein–energy malnutrition compromise the wound-healing cascade, worsen wound chronicity, and increase the risk of infection, particularly when chronic wounds induce a long-lasting catabolic and inflammatory state. Therefore, international clinical guidelines have highlighted the significance of timely medical nutrition therapy to provide adequate nutrition support to patients with or at high risk of having chronic wounds (including arterial, venous, diabetic, and pressure ulcers) and surgical patients (to enhance recovery after surgery). However, the role of nutrition and hydration is frequently overlooked, and subsequently, there is a low uptake of these clinical guidelines.

Moreover, systematic reviews have illustrated that the impact of specific nutrients or nutritional status on wound care remains unclear, and which nutritional intervention is effective in wound prevention and management necessitates high-quality research.

Therefore, this Special Issue, entitled “The Role of Nutrition in Wound Care, Prevention and Healing”, aims to host original articles, reviews, or meta-analyses that advance current knowledge regarding the impacts of nutrition on the development and management of chronic wounds and surgical wounds and describe novel nutritional approaches for the prevention and treatment of wounds.

Dr. Ching Shan (Angela) Wan
Dr. Mandy Ho
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • wound care
  • wound healing
  • wound prevention
  • nutrients
  • diet
  • medical nutrition therapy
  • disease-related skincare
  • malnutrition
  • pressure ulcer
  • surgical wound 

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 245 KB  
Article
Mediterranean Diet Adherence, Sleep Disturbances and Emotional Well-Being in Skin Ulcer Burden: Insights from a Monocentric Registry
by Tonia Samela, Giulia Raimondi, Damiano Abeni, Maria Beatrice Pupa, Maria Chiara Collina, Teresa Odorisio and Alessia Paganelli
Nutrients 2025, 17(21), 3402; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17213402 - 29 Oct 2025
Abstract
Background: Chronic skin ulcers are characterized by an impaired and delayed wound healing process, posing a major economic and healthcare burden. These multifactorial conditions are influenced by both biological, clinical and psychosocial factors. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to investigate the [...] Read more.
Background: Chronic skin ulcers are characterized by an impaired and delayed wound healing process, posing a major economic and healthcare burden. These multifactorial conditions are influenced by both biological, clinical and psychosocial factors. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to investigate the influence of psychosocial and lifestyle factors—specifically adherence to the Mediterranean diet, emotional health, sleep quality and demographic characteristics—on physical symptoms and clinical severity in patients with skin ulcers, using a multidisciplinary approach to identify key predictors of disease burden. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on patients with skin ulcers, using data from a monocentric pathology registry. Collected variables included gender, age, dietary habits (specifically, adherence to the Mediterranean diet), sleep disturbances, educational level, anxiety and depressive symptoms, Physician Global Assessment (PGA), Patient Global Assessment (PtGA), and Skindex-17 (a dermatology-specific quality of life measure). Hierarchic multivariate linear regression models were applied to identify predictors of physical symptoms and clinical severity, while simultaneously controlling for potential confounders. Results: Older age, poorer adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and elevated anxiety levels emerged as the strongest predictors of worse physical symptoms, as measured by the Skindex-17. Male sex and more severe depressive symptoms were significantly associated with higher PGA scores. Our data also suggest older age and poorer Mediterranean diet adherence to influence clinical severity. Lastly, sleep disturbances were also found to correlate with patient-reported severity. Conclusions: Our study underscores the impact of psychosocial and behavioral/lifestyle factors on the clinical burden of skin ulcers through a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach. In particular, our data indicate that dietary patterns and emotional health appear to shape both symptom perception and clinical evaluation, emphasizing the need for holistic management strategies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Nutrition in Wound Care, Prevention and Healing: From Acute Trauma to Chronic Conditions)

Review

Jump to: Research

19 pages, 1036 KB  
Review
A Scoping Review of Contextual and Individual Factors for Hospital-Acquired Malnutrition Development in Adult Hospital Inpatients: Guiding a Proactive Preventative Approach
by Vivien Hui In Cheung and Ching Shan Wan
Nutrients 2025, 17(18), 2970; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17182970 - 16 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1039
Abstract
Background: Preventing nutritional decline during hospitalisation is imperative in reducing the development of complications such as malnutrition and pressure injuries. However, existing malnutrition screening and assessment tools employ a reactive rather than proactive approach, using predictors to identify inpatients who are already malnourished [...] Read more.
Background: Preventing nutritional decline during hospitalisation is imperative in reducing the development of complications such as malnutrition and pressure injuries. However, existing malnutrition screening and assessment tools employ a reactive rather than proactive approach, using predictors to identify inpatients who are already malnourished instead of those at risk of developing hospital-acquired malnutrition. Therefore, this review aimed to identify key contextual and individual factors contributing to nutritional deterioration and their interrelatedness, and to inform strategies for preventing hospital-acquired malnutrition. Methods: A scoping review of five databases (Medline, CINAHL, Embase, All EBM Reviews and PsycINFO) up to June 2024 was conducted to include English-language studies that reported statistically significant risk factors for changes in nutritional status during hospitalisation. A directed acyclic graphing method was used to visualise the interlinkage between contextual and individual risk factors identified. PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews was followed in reporting. Results: Of 8215 retrieved abstracts, 51 studies were included. Four contextual (ward type; food service satisfaction; medical-related mealtime interruption; nutrition care collaboration) and four individual factors (nutritional status prior admission; hospital length of stay; multimorbidity; disease acuity) were found to significantly predict nutritional decline during hospitalisation and were closely interrelated. Conclusions: More contextual risk factors are modifiable, suggesting a need for organisational strategies to optimise collaborative nutrition care and improve patient satisfaction with hospital food services to promote early nutritional intervention, particularly within the first three days of admission and for inpatients with multimorbidity, high disease acuity, or pre-existing malnourishment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Nutrition in Wound Care, Prevention and Healing: From Acute Trauma to Chronic Conditions)
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20 pages, 334 KB  
Review
Limb Osseointegration—How Important Is the Role of Nutrition in the Process?
by Agnieszka Wnuk-Scardaccione and Megan Shawl Cima
Nutrients 2025, 17(4), 606; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17040606 - 7 Feb 2025
Viewed by 1509
Abstract
Background and aims: Osseointegration (OI) surgery of the appendicular skeleton for repair in amputees is a treatment in which a metal implant is directly fixed to the residual bone and subsequently connected to a prosthetic limb via a transcutaneous connector through a small [...] Read more.
Background and aims: Osseointegration (OI) surgery of the appendicular skeleton for repair in amputees is a treatment in which a metal implant is directly fixed to the residual bone and subsequently connected to a prosthetic limb via a transcutaneous connector through a small incision in the skin. Current treatment does not consider nutritional advice for patients undergoing the OI procedure. However, since the group of patients is very heterogeneous, the results may not be always satisfactory for patients and clinicians. Furthermore, in some individuals, incorrect nutrition and diet habits may lead to complications and rejection of the implant. Methods: We created an extensive narrative evaluation by conducting a methodical search. A comprehensive search was conducted across three major databases: PubMed, Embase, and Scopus. The search was carried out in October 2024 with no time limit specified. The approach involved using specific, pre-defined search terms, which were first applied in PubMed, followed by Embase and Scopus to ensure a broad and diverse range of articles was captured. The search process was refined by considering studies published in high-impact journals, as identified based on impact factors and subject relevance. To ensure consistency and rigor, the selection criteria were applied uniformly across all databases, and irrelevant or incomplete articles were excluded. Results: Based on the specific nature of the OI procedure, it is crucial to adapt patients’ diets and nutrition after the process. To translate the findings from the reviewed literature into practical clinical guidance for osseointegration (OI) procedures, we developed dietary recommendations for both patients and clinicians, presented as proposed dietary plans and summarized in tables. These recommendations were informed by evidence from various studies, highlighting findings that were supported by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as well as areas where the evidence remains inconclusive or unsupported by RCTs. Major vitamins and micro- and macroelements were distinguished and presented as guidelines for clinicians. Conclusions: OI is currently the most promising therapeutic options for amputees. To promote efficient tissue healing and provide energy for rehabilitation, it is recommended to follow a healthy, well-balanced diet that contains all the essential micronutrients, macronutrients, vitamins, and minerals. We also provide suggestions for future studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Nutrition in Wound Care, Prevention and Healing: From Acute Trauma to Chronic Conditions)
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