Evidence for atraumatic soft silicone wound dressing use

When selecting wound dressing products, there are significant practical advantages in separating the functions of the primary wound contact layer from those of the secondary, absorbent layer. To do so provides the clinician with a degree of flexibility when selecting or constructing a dressing system for a particular wound at a given stage in the healing cycle. The important contribution made by the secondary dressing is often overlooked during this selection process, but can be vital in determining the success, or otherwise, of a particular treatment, especially when using products such as hydrogels or alginate sheets (Thomas, 1998).