Background: Wounds have a psychological and social impact on patients, often affecting their quality of life. The psychological effects of wounds include increased levels of
anxiety, low self-esteem, frustration, depression, fatigue, and sleep deprivation due to associated pain. Social well being is undermined by physical limitations that deprives
social interactions and a negative self-image associated with wounds. Psychosocial stress harms the patient’s overall well being and delays wound healing.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the psychosocial impact wounds impose on patients in Kenya.

Design: A cross-sectional study Setting: The study was conducted across six hospitals in Kenya over a period of two weeks.

Subjects/participants: The study included patients of all ages who presented to the hospitals with wounds, and who gave informed consent; and excluded patients who declined to participate or could not give informed consent. The participants completed a comprehensive questionnaire capturing the wound details: Focusing on Etiology, Duration, Wound Care Experience, and Psychosocial Implications.

Results: The study recruited 500 patients; 55.8% were male, 44% were female, and 0.2% preferred not to disclose their gender. The mean age of the patients was 35.0 years, ranging from 0 to 94 years. More than 50% of the participants expressed anxiety, fears
related to the wound never healing, limb amputation, loss of income, and inability to perform daily activities. Participants reported limitations in their ability to perform daily activities, including nutrition (21.1%), bathing (45.6%), dressing (38.7%), and use of the toilet (30.8%), sleep (37.8%), and recreation (51.9%). Socially, 30.7% of participants experienced stigma due to wounds.Pain during dressing sessions was a source of stress, as 71.6% of the participants reported moderate to severe pain. In 71.7% of cases, no analgesia was administered before dressing.

Conclusion: Wounds can have a significant impact on the overall well being of patients, affecting their psychological and social health. In addition to attending to the physical aspects of care, effective wound management should encompass strategies to address these psychosocial effects. This may involve providing counseling services and integrating supportive social networks into the patient’s care plan.