Awareness

Awareness is defined as “knowledge that something exists or understanding of a situation or subject at the present time based on information or experience.”1 This issue of Advances in Skin & Wound Care raises global awareness of two important health care concerns: diabetes mellitus (DM) and pressure injuries (PI), both of which have designated November awareness days. November 14 was established as World Diabetes Day in 1991 by the International Diabetes Foundation. The date commemorates Sir Frederick Banting’s birthday, who, along with colleagues, including Charles Best, are credited as having discovered insulin in 1922. World Diabetes Day raises awareness and provides education regarding DM, which affects more than 1 billion people in more than 161 countries.2 This year’s theme is diabetes and the workplace. The Clinical Management Extra article by Sood and Canadian colleagues in this issue provides a systematic review of oral antibiotic use in persons with diabetic foot osteomyelitis. Practice pearls advise that oral antibiotic therapy is a viable option for treating diabetic foot osteomyelitis, either alone or following IV treatment. It shows comparable effectiveness to combined IV and oral regimens, making it suitable for outpatient care and beneficial in low-resource settings, provided patients are properly counseled on adherence. The systematic review by Pires and colleagues from Brazil also aligns with the World Diabetes Day theme. The authors conclude that health education is effective in managing the signs, symptoms, and complications of diabetic neuropathy. Each year the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP) observes Worldwide Pressure Injury Prevention Day, also known as International Stop Pressure Ulcer/Injury Day, on the third Thursday of November. The purpose of this year’s global event, on Thursday, November 20, 2025, is to raise awareness and promote PI prevention and care education. The NPIAP is also hosting a virtual program on November 13 and 14, entitled “Transforming Care: Guidelines and Policy Innovations for Pressure Injury Prevention.” This program brings together leading experts, policymakers, and frontline clinicians to explore how evidence-based guidelines and policy efforts are shaping the future of PI care. The event will focus on electronic clinical quality measures, health equity, reimbursement challenges, and the evolving role of artificial intelligence and technology. The latest updates to the 4th edition of the PI prevention guideline will also be highlighted. Plan now to attend some of the upcoming conferences, including the February 2026 NPIAP in-person conference linking the new guideline to treatment (https://npiap.com). Remember that the 4th edition guideline is freely available at www.internationalguideline.com. More chapters have been posted since February 2025, with treatment chapters to soon be available. Make sure to check the website periodically. Also note that NPIAP is working with the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel on the Prophylactic Dressing Standards Initiative. According to NPIAP President David Brienza, the committee members are identifying important performance characteristics of wound dressings so that the relative performance ability of dressings to prevent PIs can be compared. This issue also provides important information about PIs from around the world. From China, Liu Jiahong and colleagues’ prospective study compared the Cubbin & Jackson scale with the COMHON index for PI risk assessment in critically ill patients. Balzar and colleagues from the global Guideline Governance Group of the 4th edition of the international PI guideline provide insights into how quick screening tools can trigger more detailed risk assessment tools. As timely discovery of PIs is also critical, the work of Tzen and colleagues from the United States reviews current early PI detection with technological assistance. The rest of the issue offers a number of articles on other topics, including two articles on skin cancer—one on the risk and importance of sun awareness and protection, and the other on body image perception and self-esteem in persons with skin cancer. As this year ends, we wish you joyous holiday celebrations and a happy new year. We hope to see you in April 2026 at the WCET-NSWOCC Joint Congress in Vancouver, Canada (www.wcet-nswocc2026.com). This event will be a great chance to learn and to renew or make new international collaborations.Elizabeth A. Ayello, PhD, MS, RN, CWON, MAPWCA, FAANR. Gary Sibbald, MD, M.Ed, FRCPC (Med Derm), FAAD, MAPWCA, JM

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