Smart dressings and wearable technology: A new era in wound management

Healing a skin wound is an impressive reflection of the body's intricate cellular processes. The repair process is driven by a dynamic interaction among cells, growth factors, and cytokines, working in harmony to close the wound and restore tissue integrity. However, the most significant challenges often arise from the limitations of existing treatment and management methods, which can hinder efficient repair and recovery. These obstacles have inspired advancements in wound care, emphasizing approaches that align more closely with the body's natural healing capabilities. The limitations of traditional wound management have driven the development of innovative wound dressings, which offer improved accuracy, sensitivity, long-term stability, and environmental resilience. These advanced dressings provide clinicians with real-time insights into wound status, enabling them to make prompt and precise treatment decisions that support tissue repair and regeneration. Despite promising advancements, the complexity of wound healing and the challenges of working in challenging environments necessitate further enhancements in sensor performance. This review underscores the potential of intelligent wearable sensors and material innovations in revolutionizing wound management, highlighting the need for personalized treatment approaches to optimize efficiency and minimize risks during the healing process. To support this analysis, a comprehensive review of papers published in the last fifteen years from databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and Elsevier has been conducted. The findings emphasize the importance of multidisciplinary research in advancing wound care, offering new avenues for effective patient management and public health monitoring. By integrating wearable sensors and wireless transmission technologies, these comprehensive wound dressings facilitate remote monitoring, early diagnosis, and timely on-demand drug delivery. The investigation of various physicochemical markers—such as temperature, pH, humidity, and inflammatory factors—enables the early detection of wound conditions.