The Power of Vitamin C: A Scoping Review of Pressure Injury Wound Healing with Vitamin C Supplementation

BackgroundPressure injuries are a significant health concern in Canada, with the occurrence as high as 26% across all health care settings. Researchers have studied the effectiveness of vitamin C in the healing of pressure injuries. The purpose of this scoping review is to synthesize the existing literature on the role of vitamin C in pressure injury wound healing and identify gaps within the current literature landscape. MethodsA scoping review of the literature was conducted using the framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley, along with the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, and EMBASE databases were searched for human studies published in English that investigated the effectiveness of vitamin C in reducing wound size and/or accelerating the rate of pressure injury healing. The authors extracted data using a predefined form to summarize information on study type, patient descriptions, study design, interventions, and outcomes. ResultsNine articles met the review criteria. Six were randomized control trials, and the remaining 3 were observational studies. Seven studies acknowledged the benefit of vitamin C in pressure injury wound healing. One study reported no observed difference in healing within the control and treatment groups, and 1 study did not support the idea of increased vitamin C for wound healing. ConclusionThe current evidence suggests a possible correlation between vitamin C supplementation and pressure injury wound healing. Research with randomized control trial study designs that have large sample sizes is necessary to investigate the exclusive role of vitamin C and its impact on pressure injury wound healing.