Wound Care Practices Utilized by Healthcare Providers in The Management of Diabetic Ulcers in Selected Healthcare Facilities

Aims: To identify the wound-care practices utilized by healthcare providers in the management of diabetic ulcers in selected healthcare facilities in selected tertiary hospitals in Rivers State. Study design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Medical and surgical units of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH) and University of Port-Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) between June to November 2025 Methodology: The study included 199 healthcare providers directly involved in diabetic-ulcer management. Participants were selected using [sampling technique]. Data were collected with a validated structured questionnaire assessing wound assessment and documentation, cleansing, debridement, dressing selection, infection management, off-loading, vascular assessment, glycaemic monitoring, patient education, referral, and multidisciplinary care. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. Descriptive statistics were reported as frequencies and percentages, means and standard deviations where appropriate. Results: Of 199 eligible healthcare providers, 199 participated (response rate: 100%). The most frequently utilized wound-care practice was traditional wound dressing with gauze, with a mean value of 2.86, whereas the least frequently utilized practice was Negative Pressure wound therapy, with a mean value of 1.07. Conclusion: Healthcare providers in the selected facilities commonly utilized antibiotic therapy during wound dressing with a mean score of 1.10, while gaps were identified in Patients’ education on signs and symptoms of wound infections with a mean value of 1.17. Strengthening training/protocols/resources/referral systems may improve consistency with evidence-based diabetic-ulcer care.