Dear friends and family of the wound world, we start 2023 with another exciting edition of Wounds Asia, which is the leading journal of the Asia-Pacific region incorporating the best and latest studies covering all levels of clinical research and practice. Wounds Asia publishes case studies, reviews, editorials, reseach papers, clinical practice, product evaluations and other technological advancements from all over the region (for our new instructions for authors see page 54). The Asia-Pacific region accounts for 4.7 billion people and that covers two thirds of the global population. Many countries are in the region are have developing and underdeveloped country status and require help in advancing their wound management strategies and initiatives. Wounds Asia was formed to help the new researchers as well as older more senior clinicians to publish and showcase their great work. Many people work in silos and therefore their work is not publicised and not shared with the various wound care professionals or woundologists in the world. David Sackets proposed evidence-based medicine in the 1990’s (Sackerts, 1997) and then there was evidence-based practice. However. How many people are able to conduct many level one robust trials in their clinical settings?
Shirley Wang et al gave a guide on real world evidence, which is more practical for busy clinicians with their hectic clinical schedules. This is the forefront of what Wounds Asia wants to accomplish and that is to offer a free platform as resource to diverse groups such as clinicians, researchers and academicians in the region and globally.
My vision is also to champion wound management in all countries and islands, so that the patients will benefit from this initiative. Standard of care is referred to in every study and publications need to be available and accessible to all patients. Wound care professionals must be able to offer their patients and caregivers this element of health care management in every nook and cranny of the world. This is a noble vision. We need all the main stakeholders especially the clinicians, industry, governments, non-governmental organisations, societies, patients, caregivers, the media and others to join the cause to advance holistic wound management in a comprehensive manner. In addition, there must be recognition of the speciality.
The World Union of Wound Healing Societies (WUWHS) conference in 2026 has this objective at its core with a theme of “Global Paradigm Shift:Wound Care Speciality Recognition”. The world must come together in 2026 to Kuala Lumpur for this great event.
We are working tirelessly to have the largest hybrid meeting in the globe. This year we are joining hands with D-Foot International to organise the D-Foot International and the 5th Global Wound Conference 2023 in Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre from the 6–8 October.
Diabetes is a pandemic and diabetic foot complications are escalating. D-Foot is the implementation arm of the International Working Group on Diabetic Foot IWGDF and therefore it will be good to work and collaborate together to push the initiative of save lives and save limbs as the Asia Pacific region has the largest number of patients with diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance in the world. We have to move fast to delay the onslaught of diabetes in the Asia-Pacific region.
Finally, I hope more of you will use this free resource and publish freely in the Wounds Asia Journal so that people can view your excellent work and learn from you.
Prof. Dr. Harikrishna K.R.Nair
