Clinical Outcomes of a Real-Time e-Wound Care Map: A Prospective Study on an Intelligent Model to Improve Wound Care...

As populations age and the prevalence of chronic diseases with complex comorbidities increases, the burden of wounds continues to grow, underscoring the need for intelligent wound centers. Building on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a touchless system for monitoring and treating patients needing wound care in our medical center.

The authors established the real-time e-Wound Care Map system (e-WM system) and formulated a wound care protocol to improve clinical outcomes and enhance patient satisfaction. This single-center, prospective clinical study covering the period from June of 2020 through May of 2021 included 971 patients with serious wounds (after e-WM [AWM] group) monitored through the e-WM system. The authors collected data from the previous year for 267 patients as a retrospective control group (pre-e-WM [PWM] group). The multidisciplinary wound care team used 4 care bundles: standard wound care, specific dressing, biofilm control, and plastic surgical intervention. The e-snapshot system facilitated touchless communication and follow-up.

The length of stay was significantly shorter in the AWM group compared with the PWM group (mean [SD] 18.0 [4.5] versus 23.7 [4.7]; P < 0.001). The pain score was significantly lower in the AWM group (mean [SD] 3.0 [0.6] versus 5.2 [1.3]; P < 0.001). The mortality rate was also significantly lower in the AWM group (3.6% versus 6.7%; P < 0.05).

The innovative e-WM system reduced patient-specialist contact, accelerated wound healing, and improved the quality of wound care. This creative real-time monitoring can be applied to other departments, forming the basis for the development of intelligent medical centers.