Table 1.

The primary clinical roles and functions of adequately performing wound dressings and the associated requirements from dressing materials and structures

Fundamental Clinical Requirements for Wound and Skin Protection and Repair			Other Requirements
Physical and Engineering		Biological
Fluid Handling	Mechanical Behavior
Effectively absorb a variety of wound exudates (e.g., having different viscosities) while maintaining an optimally moist wound environment	Be compliant (i.e., flexible) to conform to various contours of the body surface	Not be toxic, sensitizing, allergenic, or otherwise irritating to the wound area; not abnormally change the skin pH	Be acceptable in appearance to patients, family members, health care professionals, and others
Effectively retain absorbed exudates unloaded and under gravity, bodyweight, or any sustained or sudden external forces	Be reasonably strong and stiff to mechanically protect the wound but not rigid; to not abrade the wound	Be sterile	Have long storage life across a wide range of conditions
Effectively release retained fluids into the environment through the backing material/film as vapor, to facilitate additional absorbency	Not release any particulates or debris into the wound bed	Resist the penetration of bacteria, viruses, and fungi through the dressing into the wound, or their escape from the wound	Have low inflammability to keep patients safe near fire sources
	Stay in place once attached but not forcefully adhere to the wound surface or to the periwound skin to allow easy removal and prevent stripping damage		Cost-effective material components, construction, and manufacturing process
	Minimum change of mechanical properties when exposed to body and wound fluids (endurance)		Be easy to apply and discard, for example, through easy release from the package
	Not change mechanical properties when contacting other topical therapeutic agents		Desirably include indicators for when the dressing needs to be changed or removed as it approaches its capacity to manage exudate or due to other factors that affect the life cycle
	Minimize frictional forces and shear stresses that potentially apply at the wound region to reduce potential wound tissue distortions