Dear friends and family, it is a pleasure to connect with you again through the Journal of Wound Care Silk Road Supplement, which brings together studies from across the Asia-Pacific region. As the COVID-19 pandemic starts to wane and people learn to live with it, wound management has progressed in leaps and bounds across the globe. The utilisation of digital technologies in wound assessment, bacterial fluorescence imaging, thermographic and 3D analysis, and various other modalities have become the ‘new normal’ for wound care professionals. Virtual meetings have become very common. However, we still value the human touch and we yearn for a proper physical meeting with online resources for those who can't travel.
The Malaysian Society of Wound Care Professionals (MSWCP) and the Commonwealth Wound Care Resource Alliance (CWCRA) are organising the inaugural Commonwealth and 4th Global Wound Conference in the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre, Malaysia, from 28–30 October 2022 with the theme ‘Evidence versus experience: the wound care dilemma’. We expect 1000 physical attendees and 5000 online delegates from all over the world. Over 60 world-renowned speakers will be sharing their knowledge, expertise and experience with us.
The CWCRA was formed in 2021 by four founding members: myself, Karen Ousey, Barbara Conway and Leanne Atkins. The Commonwealth has 56 member countries and it is our belief that we can make a difference in helping lower- and middle-income countries in improving their standard of care with good education and research from the perspective of wound management. There is a social obligation to help other wound care professionals and work together for the betterment and advancement of wound care in the Commonwealth. The CWCRA has a vision to be recognised as global leaders in sharing and enhancing best practice to meet the requirements of a wide range of individuals who have wounds, incorporating cultural and resource needs. The CWCRA prides itself with noble objectives:
- To establish a Commonwealth collaborative of persons with an interest in sharing expertise in the identification, prevention and management of wounds to improve clinical practice and patient outcomes
- To promote and facilitate education in the identification, prevention and management of wounds through annual conferences, best practice documents and initiatives that can be used in the Commonwealth nations
- To share and encourage rigorous research and evidence in the identification, prevention and management of wounds, recognising limitations in resources
- To evaluate and disseminate best evidence for identification, prevention and management of wounds for members.
I would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to our friends and family in the UK, who have lost HRH Queen Elizabeth II during this period, and express our best wishes to her successor as Head of the Commonwealth, King Charles III.
Thank you. God bless and take care.