The management of wound healing is a significant clinical challenge due to the complex processes involved. Chitosan, a natural cationic polysaccharide, has remarkable properties that effectively prevent microorganisms from entering the body and positively influence red blood cell aggregation and platelet adhesion, leading to favorable hemostatic outcomes. In recent years, chitosan-based hydrogels have been widely used as wound dressings due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, safety, non-toxicity, bioadhesiveness, and soft texture resembling the extracellular matrix. This article first summarizes the main chemical modifications of chitosan for wound dressings and then reviews the desired properties of chitosan-based hydrogel dressings. The applications of chitosan-based hydrogels in wound healing, including burn wounds, surgical wounds, infected wounds, and diabetic wounds, are discussed. Finally, future prospects for chitosan-based hydrogels as wound dressings are discussed. It is anticipated that this review will form a basis for the development of a range of chitosan-based hydrogel dressings for clinical treatment. chitosan; chitosan modification; hydrogels; wound dressings The skin plays a crucial role in protecting the body from mechanical damage, maintaining homeostasis, sensing external stimuli, and participating in immune responses. However, the skin is highly vulnerable to external stressors, and wound healing is a complex, highly coordinated multi-stage dynamic biological process. The annual treatment of wound healing creates a huge social and economic burden around the world. Clinical wound management remains a major challenge. Traditional dressings, such as cotton and gauze, have limitations due to their poor wound-healing properties, such as weak antibacterial effects and susceptibility to causing inflammation. In contrast, hydrogel dressings, which maintain a moist environment for wounds, promote cell proliferation and wound closure, making them an excellent choice for wound dressings. Chitosan-based hydrogels are particularly suitable for wound dressings due to their biodegradable, biocompatible, safe, non-toxic, bioadhesive, bacteriostatic, and hemostatic properties. They can also be loaded with therapeutic molecules or growth factors to regulate drug delivery and promote faster and better wound healing. The wound healing process is complex and involves four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. During the inflammatory phase, injured cells release chemokines to attract immune cells, which prevent and treat wound infections. In the proliferative phase, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, collagen synthesis, granulation tissue formation, and epithelialization occur. The remodeling phase involves the replacement of type III collagen with type I collagen, making the wound tissue tougher and forming scars. Hydrogel dressings are more effective than conventional dressings in promoting wound healing by maintaining a moist environment. They are made of a three-dimensional network structure formed by the chemical or physical combination of natural or syntheticThe management of wound healing is a significant clinical challenge due to the complex processes involved. Chitosan, a natural cationic polysaccharide, has remarkable properties that effectively prevent microorganisms from entering the body and positively influence red blood cell aggregation and platelet adhesion, leading to favorable hemostatic outcomes. In recent years, chitosan-based hydrogels have been widely used as wound dressings due to their biodegradability, biocompatibility, safety, non-toxicity, bioadhesiveness, and soft texture resembling the extracellular matrix. This article first summarizes the main chemical modifications of chitosan for wound dressings and then reviews the desired properties of chitosan-based hydrogel dressings. The applications of chitosan-based hydrogels in wound healing, including burn wounds, surgical wounds, infected wounds, and diabetic wounds, are discussed. Finally, future prospects for chitosan-based hydrogels as wound dressings are discussed. It is anticipated that this review will form a basis for the development of a range of chitosan-based hydrogel dressings for clinical treatment. chitosan; chitosan modification; hydrogels; wound dressings The skin plays a crucial role in protecting the body from mechanical damage, maintaining homeostasis, sensing external stimuli, and participating in immune responses. However, the skin is highly vulnerable to external stressors, and wound healing is a complex, highly coordinated multi-stage dynamic biological process. The annual treatment of wound healing creates a huge social and economic burden around the world. Clinical wound management remains a major challenge. Traditional dressings, such as cotton and gauze, have limitations due to their poor wound-healing properties, such as weak antibacterial effects and susceptibility to causing inflammation. In contrast, hydrogel dressings, which maintain a moist environment for wounds, promote cell proliferation and wound closure, making them an excellent choice for wound dressings. Chitosan-based hydrogels are particularly suitable for wound dressings due to their biodegradable, biocompatible, safe, non-toxic, bioadhesive, bacteriostatic, and hemostatic properties. They can also be loaded with therapeutic molecules or growth factors to regulate drug delivery and promote faster and better wound healing. The wound healing process is complex and involves four phases: hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. During the inflammatory phase, injured cells release chemokines to attract immune cells, which prevent and treat wound infections. In the proliferative phase, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, collagen synthesis, granulation tissue formation, and epithelialization occur. The remodeling phase involves the replacement of type III collagen with type I collagen, making the wound tissue tougher and forming scars. Hydrogel dressings are more effective than conventional dressings in promoting wound healing by maintaining a moist environment. They are made of a three-dimensional network structure formed by the chemical or physical combination of natural or synthetic