Smartphone-based wound assessment system for patients with diabetes

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Digital Health
• Wound Care Technology

Background:

• Diabetic foot ulcers pose a significant healthcare challenge, with current assessments relying heavily on visual inspection by clinicians.
• Patient involvement in daily wound care is limited, hindering proactive management and potentially delaying healing.
• There is a need for quantitative, cost-effective wound assessment methods accessible to patients and caregivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel smartphone-based system for analyzing diabetic foot ulcer images.
• To enable patients and caregivers to actively participate in daily wound monitoring.
• To provide a quantitative and cost-effective method for assessing wound healing status.

Main Methods:

• A wound image analysis system was developed exclusively for Android smartphones.
• Image capture utilized the smartphone camera with an accessory image capture box.
• Wound segmentation was performed using an accelerated mean-shift algorithm, identifying foot outline via skin color and wound boundary via region detection.
• Healing status was assessed using a red-yellow-black color model and quantitative trend analysis of patient records.

Main Results:

• The developed system demonstrated efficient wound healing status analysis.
• Experimental results showed promising accuracy in assessing wound healing.
• The system facilitates a more quantitative approach to wound assessment compared to traditional visual methods.

Conclusions:

• Smartphone-based wound image analysis offers an attractive and feasible option for chronic wound management.
• The proposed system empowers patients and caregivers in daily wound care, potentially accelerating healing and reducing healthcare burdens.
• This technology holds promise for improving the management of diabetic foot ulcers through accessible, quantitative assessment.