Care Pathway
Wounds Canada Care Pathways
Wounds Canada has developed care pathways that utilize a risk-based approach centred on patient outcomes, experiences and value-based care, aligning with population health principles. They are systems-oriented, crossing all sectors, and extend from risk screening and prevention to early intervention, treatment, referral, follow-up and self-management. This holistic, systems-based approach promotes the prevention of wounds and their complications, such as infections, non-healing, amputations, disability and death.
The pathways demonstrate the importance of system and sector integration when addressing skin health and providing wound care to maximize provider impact, patient outcomes and cost savings, contributing to both skin health and general, population-level health. In addition, they showcase the critical interface between practice and organizational policy, leading to optimal system performance in preventing the development of wounds and/or their reoccurrence and supporting healing when they do occur.
Pathway Structure
The pathways consist of three or four domains, each organized to identify an individual's specific risk level and recommend an appropriate care plan with a holistic approach, including follow-up requirements:
- Green Domain: Interventions for patients at no or very low risk.
- Yellow Domain: Interventions for patients at low risk.
- Red Domain: Interventions for patients experiencing an acute wound-related episode.
- Orange Domain: Interventions for patients in a post-acute episode stage, such as those living with a healed wound at risk for recurrence.
- Purple Domain: Interventions for patients where wound healing is not the goal due to co-existing conditions and/or patient choice.
These pathways, based on international best practice standards, are adaptable to the needs and resources of any health jurisdiction, provided the core principles are maintained.
Care Pathway Series
Pathway for Preventing and Managing Diabetic Foot Complications
In 2019, the Diabetic Foot Canada Task Force, a group of stakeholders from across Canada, was formed to address the lack of awareness, knowledge and funding related to diabetic foot care. The Task Force developed a pathway for managing diabetic foot complications, highlighting essential care aspects in an understandable format for all Canadians, regardless of their health-care background.
Download the Pathway:
4-page Pathway for Preventing and Managing Diabetic Foot Complications (English)
1-page Foot Health Pathway for People Living with Diabetes (English)
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You can read more about the development of the Pathway here.
Pathway for Preventing and Managing Pressure Injuries
In 2025, the authors of the chapter on pressure injuries in Skin Health and Wound Management: Best Practice Recommendations 2025 collaborated with Wounds Canada to produce the Pathway for Preventing and Managing Pressure Injuries. The pathway highlights the importance of risk screening for every individual under care, followed by timely interventions and follow-up reassessment to prevent the development of pressure injuries and to support healing and prevention of reoccurrence if they do occur.
Download the Pathway:
1-page Pathway for Preventing and Managing Pressure Injuries
Pathway for Preventing and Managing Vascular Wounds
In 2020, Ontario Health-CorHealth, Ontario’s Lower-Limb Preservation Advisory Committee, collaborated with Wounds Canada to develop a practical, system-level Pathway for Preventing and Managing Vascular Wounds. This pathway highlights key care activities for vascular wound prevention and management, emphasizing regular screening, early identification, timely assessment and best-practice treatment.
Download the Pathway:
1-page Pathway for Preventing and Managing Vascular Wounds
