What's the best way to heal an open surgical wound? This week we're chatting with the SWHSI-II team, Catherine Arundel, Sam Swan and Sabeen Zahra, all about the SWHSI-2 trial, the award winning study which compared Negative Pressure Wound Therapy with traditional standard dressings to answer this question. We go behind-the-scenes to hear about the trial’s highs and hurdles: blinded photo assessments, COVID interruptions, and smart solutions to recruitment challenges. Plus we find out the team's top tips for researchers undertaking similar projects.   Resources from this episode: Find out more abou the SWHSI-II Trial here: https://www.york.ac.uk/healthsciences/research/trials/ytutrialsandstudies/trials/swhsi-2/#tab-2 Clinical Results paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00143-6Trial Learning paper: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-025-01658-w Cost effectiveness paper: https://doi.org/10.1093/bjs/znaf077Bluebelle (patient reported infection questionnaire) validation paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtv.2025.100889   Music by Matthew Bailey