Co-producing shared wound care education: experiences of service users and healthcare professionals

Purpose: Shared wound care promotes collaboration between patients and healthcare professionals (HCPs) to improve wound management outcomes and enhance patient autonomy. Educational resources to support shared wound care are typically developed without the direct involvement of service users or HCPs, limiting their relevance, accessibility, and impact in community practice. This study aimed to co-produce an educational resource to support shared wound care in community settings by integrating the perspectives of both service users and HCPs. Methods: A four-phase explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was employed involving an online survey, focus groups and semi-structured interviews to explore the experiences, needs and preferences of HCPs and service users. Semantic thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. Results: Both groups prioritised clear information in a leaflet format about wound infection, wound dressing changes and the normal wound healing process to facilitate involvement in shared care tasks. Co-designing the educational resource ensured it was both clinically and contextually relevant, reflecting the real-world experiences of patients and clinicians. Conclusions: Co-producing educational resources enhances their accessibility and applicability and supports continued engagement from service users in their own care, providing a model for collaborative resource development that aligns with person-centred and self-management principles in community healthcare. Patient or public contribution: Service users with lived experience were involved in the conduct of this study.