WOUNDJOURNEY is a longitudinal, real-world, observational registry designed to capture the full clinical course and patient journey associated with chronic wounds and ulcers. Data are collected during routine care from over 1,400 clinicians across the USA and Puerto Rico using a highly structured certified electronic health record (EHR) or electronic data capture (EDC) system. Data are transmitted daily to the U.S. Wound Registry (USWR), a CMS-recognized Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR). The registry captures real-time, research-ready data on patient demographics, comorbidities, wound characteristics, standard-of-care treatments, complications, and advanced therapeutics. It supports robust, fit-for-purpose real-world evidence generation by enabling risk-adjusted outcome analysis, comparative effectiveness research, and quality improvement across diverse sites of care.

WOUNDJOURNEY is a longitudinal, real-world observational registry focused on the chronic disease burden and patient journey of individuals with chronic wounds and ulcers. Data collection began in 2005 and continues prospectively, capturing structured clinical data at the point of care using a purpose-built certified EHR or EDC system. These data are securely transmitted to the U.S. Wound Registry (USWR), a CMS-designated Qualified Clinical Data Registry (QCDR).

All major wound types are represented: Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs), diabetic ulcers not on the foot, Venous leg ulcers (VLUs), Arterial ulcers, Pressure ulcers/injuries, Surgical complications, Traumatic wounds, Vasculitic/inflammatory, and sickle cell-related ulcers, and chronic non-pressure ulcers.

The registry collects detailed data on standard-of-care practices and advanced wound care interventions, including brand-specific information on: Advanced dressings (e.g., collagen, antimicrobial), Compression therapy, Offloading devices, Cellular and/or tissue-based products (CTPs) also called Cellular, Acellular, or Matrix-like Products (CAMPs) or "skin substitutes," Negative pressure wound therapy, MIST therapy (low-frequency ultrasound), Topical oxygen therapy (TOT), Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), Topical growth factors (e.g., Becaplermin), Enzymatic and mechanical debridement, Fluorescent imaging for bacterial load, Topical antibiotics and antimicrobials, and other treatments.

The registry captures key elements of the patient journey, including: Frequency of debridement, Sites of care, number of patient visits and number of wound visits, Dressing changes, Use and timing of advanced therapies, Comorbid disease burden and clinical complexity, Patient Frailty, number of wounds and ulcers per patient, patient time in service, wound time service, patient and wound outcomes, the development of new wounds while in service and complication rates.

Wounds are risk stratified using the Wound Healing Index, enabling case-mix adjustment and longitudinal outcome tracking. Follow-up may extend over five years, capturing outcomes such as: Complete healing (epithelialization), Non-healing, Major and minor amputations, Mortality, and Loss to follow-up or transfer of care. Quality of care is assessed using wound-specific quality measures. The registry integrates real-world clinical care with research and quality improvement, supporting a learning healthcare system model.

Through secure tokenization, registry data may be linked to payer claims for comprehensive longitudinal analysis of healthcare utilization, interventions, hospitalizations, medication use, and long-term outcomes across care settings. This enables rigorous, policy-relevant evaluations of standard care and advanced wound therapies in routine practice. The robust patient and wound level data are suitable to understand the natural history of chronic wounds and ulcers and to create historical controls for prospective clinical trials.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Presence of one or more chronic wounds or ulcers of any etiology
• Wound or ulcer must be treated at a participating site (which can be a hospital outpatient department, office, mobile practitioner, in the home setting, skilled nursing, etc.)
• Care must be documented using the purpose-built, wound-specific structured electronic health record (EHR) or electronic data capture (EDC) system
• All ages, including infants and patients aged 90 years or older (reported in aggregate in accordance with HIPAA de-identification standards)
• All sexes and gender identities
• All wound types and severities, including multiple wounds per patient

Exclusion Criteria:

-None (the registry includes all eligible patients treated at participating sites without sampling or exclusion criteria)

Patients with chronic wounds or ulcers treated at participating sites in any US State and Puerto Rico. All patients and wounds are included without sampling. Each wound can be analyzed independently, even when multiple wounds exist on a single patient.

Sampling Method:

Non-Probability Sample

Minimum Age:

0 Years

Maximum Age:

None (patients aged 90+ are reported in aggregate per HIPAA)

Sex:

All

Gender Based:

No

Accepts Healthy Volunteers:

No

De-identified individual participant data (IPD) collected through the U.S. Wound Registry (USWR) may be made available to qualified researchers, payers, regulatory agencies, or industry partners upon request. Shared data may include demographics, comorbidities, wound characteristics, interventions, and outcomes captured longitudinally in a structured electronic health record (EHR) or data capture system. All shared data comply with HIPAA de-identification standards and may be subject to data use agreements and institutional review board (IRB) approval.

Available upon request after data quality review and registry updates are complete. IPD is available on an ongoing basis, with no fixed end date.

Access to de-identified individual participant data (IPD) may be granted to qualified researchers, payers, regulatory agencies, or industry partners upon request. Requests must include a research protocol or data use justification. Data access is contingent on execution of a data use agreement (DUA) and, where applicable, institutional review board (IRB) approval. All shared data will comply with HIPAA de-identification standards (45 CFR §164.514). The U.S. Wound Registry reserves the right to review all requests for scientific merit, relevance, and feasibility. Contact the registry to initiate a data access request. For access inquiries, contact: cfife@intellicure.com