Improving concordance with long-term compression therapy amongst people with venous ulceration: A Delphi study- clinician cohort

Research by Nelson and Adderley (2016)reveals that 60-80 % of individuals affected by chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) develop venous leg ulcers (VLU). The gold standard treatment for VLU is the application of compression therapy (CT), which promotes venous return, reduces venous pressure, and minimizes stasis (Bullock & Manias, 2022). Patient concordance to CT is suboptimal, with only 40 % concordance, leading to a higher risk of VLU recurrence (Eri ckson et al., 1995; Fi nlayson et al., 2014; K app et al., 2013). This poses a significant and costly healthcare challenge (Smith & McGuiness, 2010). A Delphi study was conducted to ascertain the factors that influence concordance with CT using a clinician cohort. The study asked participants to rank factors that facilitated concordance and those that acted as barrier. Results revealed that clinicians identified 44 factors that facilitated concordance and 46 factors that acted as a barrier in the initial phase. The consensus level, measured by a Kendall W Coefficient, ranged from moderate to strong amongst the participants (Zanotti & Chiffi, 2015).