• G M Salome, M J A de Brito, and L M Ferreira.
• Sapucaí Valley University (UNIVÁS), Pouso Alegre, MG, Brazil.
• J Wound Care. 2014 Sep 1; 23 (9): 442-4, 446.

UnlabelledObjectiveTo assess self-esteem in patients with venous leg ulcers treated with Unna's boot. •MethodA descriptive, analytic, clinical study was conducted from June 2010 to May 2011 in an outpatient wound care clinic in São Paulo, Brazil. Patients of both sexes, aged ≥18 years, who had had a venous leg ulcer for more than one year and a Doppler ankle brachial index ranging from 0.8-1.0 were consecutively selected for inclusion. Patients were treated with wound dressings and Unna's boot. Self-esteem was assessed using the Brazilian version of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) at inclusion (baseline) and after 4, 8, and 12 months of compression therapy using Unna's boot. The scale is reverse-scored; thus lower scores indicate higher levels of self-esteem. •ResultsThe patients showed a slight but significant improvement in self-esteem after 4 months of treatment (mean RSE score=17.12) compared with baseline (mean RSE score=24.90). However, a marked and significant improvement in self-esteem was observed after 8 months (mean RSE score=7.40) and 12 months (mean RSE score=2.10) of compression therapy using Unna's boot. •ConclusionPatients with venous leg ulcers treated with Unna's boot for 12 months showed a significant improvement in self-esteem •Declaration Of InterestAll authors declare that no competing financial interests exist. There was no external funding for this study.

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