Digitizing Wound Assessment: Unlocking the Potential of the Wound Care Team Editorial Summary Globally 40 million people live with chronic wounds. This necessitates multiple clinic visits with the wound care team. In contrast to traditional methods of wound assessment, e.g., paper rulers, innovative digital technology is available that enables measurement of surface area and objective measures of tissue types. These advances in technology are enabling integration of advanced wound imaging into wound management solutions, and combined with accurate tracking, this can unlock the potential of the wound care team to achieve better outcomes for patients.
W
ound care providers know the magnitude of the silent epidemic of chronic wounds. Globally, over 40 million people live with chronic wounds.1 In some countries, wound care accounts for 35 - 65% of post-acute care.2 Government spending in the United States through Medicare is estimated at $96 billion annually.3 Beyond the size of the problem, health care providers face many challenges in providing proactive, optimized wound care resulting in delayed wound healing, poorer outcomes and lower quality of life for patients with wounds.
Mr Robert D. J. Fraser, RN Director of Clinical Engagement and Education, Swift Medical Toronto, Canada
Similar to many other industries, wound care has the opportunity to address these challenges with technology designed specifically for the needs of clinicians and patients. Solutions that provide easyto-use tools at the point of care across the healthcare continuum help empower clinicians of all skill levels to effectively manage their patients’ wounds. Mr Carlo Perez
Dr Robert Bartlett
Ms Amy Lorincz
Founder and CEO, Swift Medical
Chief Medical Officer, Swift Medical
Toronto, Canada
Lexington SC, United States
Validations and Communications Manager, Swift Medical
Ms Amy Cassata, RN
Mr David Mannion
Dr José L. RamírezGarcíaLuna
VP, Clinical Success, Swift Medical
Director, Market Development, Swift Medical
Director, Clinical Research and Validations, Swift Medical
Chicago IL, United States
Toronto, Canada
Montreal, Canada
40
Montreal, Canada
Wound Masterclass - Vol 1 - September 2022
The introduction of smartphones into clinical care enables easy correction of a core challenge of wound care, accurate measurement. Disposable paper rulers became an industry standard, and length and width are widely accepted as critical measures of wound healing. However, Rogers4 highlighted that wounds are not rectilinear, and using length and width for area calculation can lead to a 41% overestimation of wound sizes. Beyond the two-dimensional surface area, wounds also have depth. Smartphones now have high-quality cameras and increased computing capacity. AI-powered applications can conduct threedimensional analysis of the wound bed and identification of the deepest point.5 Submillimeter accuracy can be achieved considering the entire visible wound bed and reducing the variability between clinicians. The ability to map a wound again increases the potential to precisely assess the wound volume and closure over time. Wound closing by secondary intention requires tissue granulation at the base of the wound to occur, followed by eventual reepithelialization.6 Thus, the surface area may lag behind depth or wound volume measurements. Wound care clinicians equipped with modern digital wound assessment tools can counteract these measurement challenges, which can compound when clinicians compare wound measurements over