Congratulations to Deputy Head of ORI, Prof Tom Wainwright, for a highly productive year as a Committee member of the International Surgical Wound Complications Advisory Panel (ISWCAP).

ISWCAP’s mission is to reduce the occurrence of surgical wound complications across the world through advocacy, education, risk identification and improved clinical management. The organisation has over 1500 members spanning 15 countries and six continents and this continues to grow.

Prof Wainwright reports, “It has been a busy year and we have achieved a considerable amount. I believe this is a result of the great collaboration amongst ISWCAP’s committee members, a shared dedication, passion and drive to work together across countries and time zones, joined by a common goal. We have completed several projects this year including the development of our Consensus Document for the Optimisation and Prevention of Surgical Wound Complications (SWCs) (2023), and a ground-breaking scoping review on Clinical Prediction tools for SWCs. This was accompanied by publishing a review of the Barriers and enablers for clinical management of surgical wound complications: results of an international survey prior and during the COVID-19 pandemic. These publications will certainly raise the awareness of the issues facing those engaging in clinical risk profiling of patients prior to and after surgery and has provided the groundwork for future ISWCAP projects.”

The ISWCAP best practice statements and consensus documents have also featured on the international stage in 2023 at many scientific congresses including the ERAS World Congress in Lisbon. At this congress Prof Wainwright featured in an expert panel session, and a summary discussion can be viewed here.