Abstract
This study examined the effects of patient characteristics and environmental factors on the healing of leg ulcers in older people living in the community. A descriptive comparative design was used to examine factors such as age, gender, socio-economic status, cognition, smoking, ulcer duration, certain diseases and medications. Only socio-economic status was found to influence healing: patients from lower socio-economic classes were more likely to be non-healers. Recommendations on factors to consider in sampling criteria and research design in experimental studies are also discussed