Dr. Linda Benskin, a PhD wound specialist nurse with a pediatrics background, volunteered for five years in rural West Africa, teaching village health workers, treating medical patients, and managing wounds. During this time, she discovered PolyMem® wound dressings among boxes of donated bandages. In that extremely hot climate, other modern dressings made infections worse or slowed healing, but with PolyMem, wounds stayed clean, pain quickly resolved, patients could return to work, and healing was stunningly quick. Once she discovered PolyMem, she used it on virtually every wound patient – eventually totaling in the hundreds – with every wound type. When Dr. Benskin returned to the United States, she was determined to learn why PolyMem works so well and to pass that information along to others. This feature article, which describes Benskin’s success with a PolyMem Protocol in Africa, is also an authoritative examination of PolyMem products.

1. The article  explains an effective wound care protocol, provides example case studies, and summarizes impressive clinical outcomes with PolyMem dressings by a wide range of independent wound experts. Dr. Benskin describes the many features and benefits that PolyMem provides for wound healing and cites specific evidence.

2. Benskin summarizes the evidence in convenient, easy-to-use tables. Clinicians working in many different settings worldwide have written about the successful usage of PolyMem on every type of wound, from unbroken skin to full thickness. No other product has such a broad base of evidence of success on such a wide range of wound types.

• Table 1 summarizes 31 published articles and reports supporting the use of PolyMem dressings

• Table 2 tallies, by wound type, 209 unique posters presented at major conferences by 144 independent (not paid to use PolyMem) clinicians. These posters report on 3988 patients

• An additional 8 posters by 4 company employees represent 161 patients (unpublished)

• Appendix A (unpublished, included in the download, here) follows the format of Table 1, detailing the 23 posters from Table 2 which describe formal clinical studies and evaluations

How to interpret Table 1 and Appendix A (the importance of the various study types listed):

The gold standard for research evidence is a randomized control trial (RCT). Four such trials are presented in the tables. The silver level of evidence is the cohort study; 16 cohort studies are summarized. In cohort studies, the clinician compares a new treatment approach to their previous “Best Practice Advanced Wound Care Treatment Regime,” and all results from consecutive new patients who qualify for the new approach (such as PolyMem) are reported.

Consensus documents and guidelines are based upon the judgment of clinical experts, relying upon evidence from published studies. PolyMem is named by wound experts who work with various wound patient groups as the ideal dressing for many complex problems. This is also powerful evidence. The tables also document results of formal product evaluations (evidence was gathered and compared) which resulted in PolyMem becoming a facility’s “New Best Practice.” Again, these are compelling testaments to PolyMem’s efficacy.

Case series and case studies often provide extra detail and insights so that other clinicians can learn exactly what was done and why. This helps the reader achieve similar results with their own patients. This article presents three cases.

Please browse PolyMem.com, which includes a references section containing a large volume of literature about PolyMem, to learn more about PolyMem dressings:

• Unique components work with the body and each other to facilitate rapid wound healing

• Balances wound moisture and conforms well; benefits every wound type

• The drug-free dressings that actually relieve certain inflammation-related wound pain (PolyMem helps to calm the nervous system’s reaction, decreasing pain, bruising, and swelling)

• The dressing with a built-in wound-cleansing system (The cleansing is so effective that the instructions advise not to rinse at dressing changes)

• Dressing changes are virtually pain-free and quick, saving caregiver time and costs