A Literature Review for Patient Compliance in Venous Leg Ulcers

Venous leg ulcers are said to be a problem for both patients and the health system which must provide care to those who have been afflicted by this painful condition. However, the treatment can be prolonged and patient compliance is important if healing is to occur and recurrence is to be prevented. Although it has been said that most of the venous leg ulcers could be healed only if adequate resources were to be found to treat all sufferers by admitting them to hospitals for leg elevation and compression therapy, this is a difficult task for a health system that is constrained by resources. Thus, it is necessary to treat most of the cases as outpatients and as far as possible, ensure that patients are educated and complying. This literature review presents a discussion about patient compliance and venous leg ulcers that not only presents a discussion about various aspects of the disease, but also examines the need for patient compliance.