None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Over 400,000 community and hospital patients in Australia have chronic wounds, posing an estimated annual burden of $3 billion in treatment costs. These patients risk longer hospital stays and 30-day readmission as a result of wound complications. Pressure injuries (PI) and lower leg ulcers, are the most common chronic wounds, with PI accounting for 84% of chronic wounds. With COVID-19, use of telehealth consultations is a timely intervention for patients with chronic wounds. However, research in this area is scarce. This translational research study will determine the efficacy of the Virtual wound Care command Centre (VATICAN) in four settings and three health districts. The project will reduce face-to-face visits between staff and patients, promote timely clinical intervention and prevent deterioration of wounds necessitating re-admission, thereby alleviating demand on services. This application, through leveraging off an existing pilot study, provides the opportunity to test a virtual wound care model, enhancing transferability and scalability.
Interventions
The intervention is a Virtual Wound Model of care using a digital application that supports a Virtual Wound Care Command Centre (VATICAN) consisting of a telemedicine system with remote consultation where the clinician responsible assesses, manages, prescribes and documents wound care treatment as a remote specialist. Each consult is conducted as a 30 min session per patient, every-week or more frequently if the wound care plan needs to be changed or if the wound is not improving. The patient, c
The intervention is a Virtual Wound Model of care using a digital application that supports a Virtual Wound Care Command Centre (VATICAN) consisting of a telemedicine system with remote consultation where the clinician responsible assesses, manages, prescribes and documents wound care treatment as a remote specialist. Each consult is conducted as a 30 min session per patient, every-week or more frequently if the wound care plan needs to be changed or if the wound is not improving. The patient, carer, or community clinician will be empowered to implement the prescribed wound treatment. Patients are followed through from time of enrolment until the wound is completely healed or to the end of the study period. The intervention will be tested over a period of 6 months. The VATICAN uses a digital application (app), Tissue AnalyticsTM (TA), for clinicians to measure, analyse and treat wounds. By capturing an image of the wound, the digital app analyses and visualises wound dimensions and perimeters, surface area and tissue composition. The digital app requires a smartphone with integrated camera. It has two interfaces, one for the clinician and one for the patient. The patient-facing app is used by patients to manage their wound or when they require regular monitoring by clinicians. Patients are trained on the use of the app at the time of enrolment. Patients are instructed to take an image of their wound every 2 to 7 days or as the change in dressing requires.
Sponsors
Sydney Local Health District - Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (RPAH)
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria for patients: 1. Patients 18 years of age and older who are discharged from health care with an unhealed wound(s) and: (a) Have access to and can use a smartphone, OR (b) Have a carer that has access to and can use a smartphone Inclusion criteria for clinicians include: 1. Wound clinical nurse consultants, skin integrity nurse specialists, vascular surgeons and podiatrists that have a patient that requires wound care management 2. Have access to and can use a smartphone
Exclusion criteria
1. Patients with a wound that requires specialised treatment, such as burns/scalds 2. Patients with a non-healing wound such as palliative, malignant or fungating tumours 3. Patients with wounds with a blind-ended track such as pilonidal sinus or wound sinus 4. Patients with a superficial fast-healing wound such as abrasions, blisters or superficial lacerations and do not require continual wound monitoring. 5. Patients that have cognitive impairment, as determined by the treating physician 6. Patients that do not have access to or cannot use a smartphone.
Outcome results
None listed