The information gained from the free text diaries gave a real insight into patients’ experience. A total of 13/20 diaries were returned. The majority of patients were men with a mean age of 56. It was felt that these relatively young patients were keen to be part of the evaluation and to take an active role in the choice of dressings applied. The main emerging themes (in addition to the pain diary scores) include descriptions of:
Improvement in the skin
Cooling effects when in situ
Pain reduction.