Workstream 4:

what future research on open surgical wounds is likely to be the most worthwhile?

When research is funded money is being spent to collect data that should then help policy makers, health professionals and patients make better decisions about the treatments they use. Thus it is important to make sure that the most ‘valuable’ research is commissioned in terms of this helping to reduce areas where there is the most uncertainty. This work extends that started in Workstream 2 and is called a value of information analysis this will involve:

Calculating the expected value of perfect information (EVPI) for the UK population with open surgical wounds. The EVPI is the maximum amount of investment a decision maker should be willing to make in accumulating knowledge (research) that will reduce uncertainty around a decision.
Where further research is deemed to be of value prioritising the data required and subsequent research designs.