Recommendations on the use of telemedicine in wound management

The advent of telemedicine has significantly transformed the healthcare landscape, offering enhanced accessibility to specialised wound care. By integrating digital health solutions, complementary to face-to-face care, in a personalised care pathway telemedicine facilitates timely interventions, reduces unnecessary hospital visits and optimises medical resources. Developing recommendations on the effective use of telemedicine in wound care can encourage good practice. The model proposed by the Haute Autorité de Santé (the French National Authority of Health) consists of developing recommendations for good clinical practice through formal consensus. To this end, and following a Delphi process, a panel of wound care experts was convened, including physicians and nurses of various disciplines involved in wound management (wound healing; dermatology; geriatrics; vascular medicine; vascular surgery; physical and rehabilitation medicine; and plastic and reconstructive surgery); and from a range of organisations (public/state, private, collaborative, independent). As a first step, an extensive review of the evidence-based literature was conducted on the use of telemedicine. Questions were developed by the strategic committee (formed of 10 experts) and proposed to a scoring committee composed of 20 experts in wound healing who established a consensus agreement. Levels of consensus were determined through two successive rounds of consultation. The resulting document was proposed to the lecture committee, composed of 50 experts and non-experts, which reviewed and amended the proposed text. This document reflects the importance of e-health technologies which have emerged since the COVID-19 pandemic in complex wounds.