Efficacy and Safety of Honey Dressings in the Management of Chronic Wounds: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Chronic wounds impose a substantial economic burden on healthcare systems and result in decreased productivity. Honey possesses diverse properties, rendering it a promising, cost-effective, and efficacious intervention strategy for the management of chronic wounds. However, the findings are controversial. We have presented an updated and comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of honey dressings in the management of chronic wounds. Nine electronic databases were systematically searched to identify relevant studies published prior to 22 March 2024. A total of eight studies, including 906 individuals that met the inclusion criteria, were incorporated. The findings demonstrated a significant acceleration in wound healing time with honey dressings (MD = −17.13, 95% CI −26.37 to −7.89, p = 0.0003) and an increase in the percentage of wound healing (MD = 18.31, 95% CI 8.86 to 27.76, p = 0.0001). No statistically significant differences were observed in the healing rate (RR = 2.00, 95% CI 0.78 to 5.10, p = 0.15), clearance time of bacteria (MD = −11.36, 95% CI: −25.91 to 3.18, p = 0.13) and hospital stay duration. Honey may decrease the VAS score but may increase the incidence of painful discomfort during treatment. The topical application of honey is an effective therapeutic approach for managing chronic wounds, but the quality of the evidence was very low due to the quality of risk of bias, inconsistency, and publication bias, highlighting the necessity for larger-scale studies with adequately powered RCTs to ensure the safety and efficacy of honey dressings in chronic wound healing.