Remote digital surgical wound monitoring and surveillance using smartphones

The use of patient smartphones for remote monitoring and surveillance of surgical wounds presents an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between national surveillance standards for surgical infections and their practical application in care delivery. Patient-reported outcomes, including digital images, could drive efficiency in surveillance, improve patient care directly and help identify trends in complication rates and outbreaks. This would take a proactive approach to monitoring, rather than a quasi-retrospective 30-day follow up, and it could incorporate additional information such as pain scores to help provide responsive patient care.<br/><br/>Digital post-operative wound monitoring using patient smartphones is in the early stages of implementation. However, a combination of high-quality evidence,6 real-world data implementation and ongoing studies, suggests numerous benefits, including earlier detection of surgical site infections, reduced morbidity, fewer healthcare visits and high patient satisfaction. There is also emerging evidence for the sustainability of this approach.<br/><br/>Routine use of remote monitoring needs to be acceptable and accessible to patients, with consideration of their needs and preferences. This will involve a focus on improving access to healthcare and two-way communication with care professionals. Successful uptake will also require healthcare workers to adopt new ways of working, which could be assisted with workforce solutions and artificial intelligence.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Wound Care
Published
2025-03-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.12968/jowc.2025.34.sup4b.s1
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Digital Imaging in Medicine
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
3.76
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Remote digital surgical wound monitoring and surveillance using smartphones

Keith Wilson, Thomas E Serena, Judith Tanner, Kylie Sandy‐Hodgetts et al.
2 citations
Journal of Wound Care
Digital Imaging in Medicine
3.76
article

Remote digital surgical wound monitoring and surveillance using smartphones

Keith Wilson, Thomas E Serena, Judith Tanner, Kylie Sandy‐Hodgetts, Ross Lathan, William H Tettelbach, James Glasbey, Kenneth A McLean, Giles Bond‐Smith, George Smith, Ria Betteridge, Melissa Rochon, Joshua Totty, Rhiannon Macefield, Jeffrey Niezgoda, Kumbi Kariwo
article en
2 citations

Abstract

The use of patient smartphones for remote monitoring and surveillance of surgical wounds presents an exciting opportunity to bridge the gap between national surveillance standards for surgical infections and their practical application in care delivery. Patient-reported outcomes, including digital images, could drive efficiency in surveillance, improve patient care directly and help identify trends in complication rates and outbreaks. This would take a proactive approach to monitoring, rather than a quasi-retrospective 30-day follow up, and it could incorporate additional information such as pain scores to help provide responsive patient care.<br/><br/>Digital post-operative wound monitoring using patient smartphones is in the early stages of implementation. However, a combination of high-quality evidence,6 real-world data implementation and ongoing studies, suggests numerous benefits, including earlier detection of surgical site infections, reduced morbidity, fewer healthcare visits and high patient satisfaction. There is also emerging evidence for the sustainability of this approach.<br/><br/>Routine use of remote monitoring needs to be acceptable and accessible to patients, with consideration of their needs and preferences. This will involve a focus on improving access to healthcare and two-way communication with care professionals. Successful uptake will also require healthcare workers to adopt new ways of working, which could be assisted with workforce solutions and artificial intelligence.

Journal of Wound CareVol. 34(Sup4b)
University of Nottingham (GB), University of Liverpool (GB), Duke University (US), Murdoch University (AU), The University of Western Australia (AU), Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GB), Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust (GB), University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (GB), University of Bristol (GB), Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital (GB), NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (GB), SerenaGroup Research Institute (US), Restorix Health (US), Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust (GB), Hull York Medical School (GB), University of Birmingham (GB), University of Edinburgh (GB)
Openalex Percentile: Top 9%
Digital Imaging in Medicine
3.76
DOISourceOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.