Your first wound care clinic appointment is an initial assessment: the doctor looks for the reason why your wound is not healing, rather than simply changing the dressing. If you bring a complete set of results, a diagnosis and treatment plan can be established at the first appointment, rather than after two weeks of waiting for tests. Below is a list of the test results that Poradnia Leczenia Ran ETER-MED (ETER-MED Wound Care Clinic) in Straszyn asks you to bring to your first appointment, with an explanation of what each test tells us about the wound.
Why a chronic wound needs tests, not just a dressing
A wound that has not closed within 14 days of an injury or operation, or an ulcer that takes longer than 6 weeks to heal, is almost never just a skin problem. Most often, something that cannot be seen from the outside is preventing healing: reduced blood supply to the limb, venous stasis, poorly controlled diabetes, iron or protein deficiency, or a chronic deep tissue infection. This is why the first step at the clinic is to assess blood supply, infection and coexisting conditions. Much of this assessment relies on blood tests that you can have beforehand, without a referral, at any collection point.
Blood tests before your initial assessment
| Test | What it shows when a wound is slow to heal |
|---|---|
| Full blood count with differential | Anaemia (less oxygen reaches the wound), leukocytosis associated with infection, and platelet levels before any potential procedure. |
| CRP and ESR | Inflammation; CRP rises quickly during an infection, while ESR rises more slowly and remains elevated for longer. |
| Procalcitonin | Distinguishes a bacterial infection requiring antibiotics from “ordinary” wound inflammation. |
| Glucose and HbA1c | Established or undiagnosed diabetes; HbA1c shows average blood glucose over the last 3 months, and a high level is one of the main reasons for a wound failing to heal. |
| Creatinine, electrolytes | Kidney function (important when choosing antibiotics and other medicines), and abnormal sodium and potassium levels. |
| Uric acid | Gout can mimic inflammation around a joint and wound. |
| Iron and ferritin | Iron stores; deficiency inhibits tissue repair, even when haemoglobin is still within the normal range. |
| 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 OH) – vitamin D test | Deficiency weakens immunity and impairs healing; in Poland, it is the norm in autumn and winter. |
All these tests can be carried out from a single blood draw, in the morning, on an empty stomach (8–12 hours without food; water is allowed). You can buy them individually or as a package from the BadamySie.pl shop: full blood count, CRP, procalcitonin, HbA1c, creatinine, ferritin, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25 OH). Your results are available online within 1–2 working days; print them out or show them on your phone. The result report is issued in Polish.
Doppler ultrasound of the arteries in the lower limbs
If you have a wound on your foot or lower leg, the clinic asks you to bring a Doppler ultrasound report for the arteries in your lower limbs, from a scan performed no more than 6 months before your appointment. This examination determines whether the wound is ischaemic: without restoring the blood supply, no dressing will heal it, and compression (a cornerstone of treatment for venous ulcers) is then contraindicated. Doppler scans are performed by ultrasound departments, including those at ETER-MED facilities in Gdańsk (Jaskółcza, Górskiego) and in Straszyn; no preparation is needed.
What else to bring to your appointment
- records of your wound treatment so far and a list of the products used; do not remove a dressing applied elsewhere yourself,
- a list of medicines (steroids, anticoagulants, cytotoxic medicines, diabetes medicines), hospital discharge summaries and culture results,
- comfortable footwear and clothing that allows easy access to the wound.
After the first appointment, the doctor may request additional targeted tests: INR and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), D-dimer, Doppler ultrasound of the veins, an X-ray of the foot bones (if a bone infection is suspected), a wound culture, and an ankle–brachial index with tcpO2 measurement (performed on site at the clinic).
Warning signs: do not wait for your appointment
Fever or chills, rapidly spreading redness, black discolouration of the toes, pus discharge, sudden reopening of the wound or bleeding that cannot be stopped: these are reasons to go to a SOR (szpitalny oddział ratunkowy — hospital emergency department) or call 112 for help.
Where to get treatment for a slow-healing wound
Poradnia Leczenia Ran ETER-MED (ETER-MED Wound Care Clinic) in Straszyn (ul. Jana Pawła II 5, by the Tricity bypass) accepts patients without a referral; the first appointment is an initial assessment, appointments can be booked on 58 500 88 74, Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00, and free parking is available. The clinic is led by Agnieszka Białomyzy, a wound care specialist, and the treatment plan is agreed by a team covering internal medicine, diabetes care, orthopaedics and vascular surgery. The clinic works with Szpital 1DayClinic (1DayClinic Hospital) in Gdańsk: hospital patients whose surgical wounds are taking longer to heal are referred to the clinic, while clinic patients who need surgery are referred to the hospital.
Affiliation: the portal’s publisher, BadamySie.pl sp. z o.o., belongs to the ETER-MED group, which runs the clinic. This content is for informational purposes and does not replace a medical consultation.
Sources
- Poradnia Leczenia Ran ETER-MED (ETER-MED Wound Care Clinic), Dla pacjenta: przygotowanie do wizyty, lista badań, objawy alarmowe (For patients: preparing for your appointment, list of tests, warning signs), leczenie-rany.pl, accessed 9.10.2026
- Szkiler E., #RanywPigułce: poradnik leczenia miejscowego ran dla medyków (Wounds in a nutshell: a guide to local wound treatment for healthcare professionals), Forum Leczenia Ran (definition of a chronic wound: 14 days / 6 weeks, criteria for lack of progress, compression, nutrition), forumleczeniaran.pl
Where can I get blood tests without a referral?
Blood collection centres with addresses and opening hours: Warszawa · Wrocław · Łódź · Kraków · Poznań · Gdańsk · Szczecin · Bydgoszcz · all cities.
Order your tests online at BadamySie.pl and have them done at a centre of your choice.