Effectiveness of Complementary Therapies in the Management of Wounds Among Adult Patients

Aims: To conduct a systematic review of complementary therapies for wound management. Methods: An initial search of the literature was conducted using a machine-learning assisted instrument. Based on initial results, literature was hand reviewed by at least two team members for inclusion. Data were extracted and quality was assessed for included articles at the full text level. Results: 67 articles were included on a variety of complementary therapies for wound management including original research such as randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, case reports, and cohort studies that assessed the effectiveness of complementary therapies in the management of wounds among adult patients. Studies assessing the effectiveness of complementary therapies on patients with episiotomies, complementary therapies using body-mind therapies, studies for which the full text was inaccessible, and non-English language studies were excluded. Resulting treatments were honey, maggot debridement, Aloe vera, Calendula officinalis, Hypericum perforatum ointment, dragon’s blood, curcumin, banana leaf dressing, potato peels, and tea tree oil. Conclusion: Honey, maggot debridement, Aloe vera, Calendula officinalis, Hypericum perforatum ointment, dragon’s blood, curcumin, banana leaf dressing, and tea tree oil show promise as low cost alternatives for wound management.