Preface

The work of the wound healing group from Oxford is recognised internationally. They have been pioneers in many of the recent advances in this subject area. One of the many notable achievements has been the very successful Summer Schools. These meetings have attracted, not only a large number of delegates, but also a number of opinion leaders to speak at the meeting. The standard of the meetings is extremely high, not only in terms of educational content and spirited discussion, but also in terms of the social activities and encourage informal discussion, friendship and research collaborations to be set up.

This first Oxford European Wound Healing Course Handbook provides, for the first time, a long lasting source of information and thoughts on subjects discussed during the course. Of necessity the subjects are a somewhat eclectic mix of important, challenging and controversial aspects of modern wound care. The authors are experts in their field. They are willing and able to share, not only recent research findings, but also their own views on their subject. Topics as diverse as the science of wound healing, computers and wound management are discussed next to clinical aspects of management of many specific wound types. Issues of pain, bacteria and new therapies in wound care are presented alongside discussions on the role of industry in this subject area. The authors come from many centres in Europe and represent a wide range of professional disciplines.

The essence of good wound care is interdisciplinary team working. This book has evidence of such in abundance. The Oxford wound healing team have another success on their hands. Yet again many of us have to follow where they lead - congratulations and thank you for showing us the way (yet again!).

Professor Keith Harding
Director, Wound Healing Research Unit
University Department of Surgery, Cardiff Medicentre
Heath Park, Cardiff, UK