Digitising Wound Assessment, Management and Documentation within an Irish Public Health Nursing Service- a Proof of Concept Evaluation.

Dermody, Tracey and Skerritt, Louise (2023) Digitising Wound Assessment, Management and Documentation within an Irish Public Health Nursing Service- a Proof of Concept Evaluation. In: HSE Digital Health Conference 2023, 2023-12-01 - 2023-12-01, Dublin. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

Background To provide cost effective, quality wound care it is imperative to understand the burden wound management places on community services. 1-1.5% of the population are affected by wounds, with up to 70% of community nursing time spent on wound care. Costs have been estimated to be €629,064,198 pa equivalent to 6% of the Irish Public Health expenditure. Despite the introduction in Ireland of National Wound Care Guidelines in 2009 and the updated version in 2018, community wound prevalence data identified the following challenges in community nursing wound care provision: 1. Access to specialist services and timely referral 2. Variations in staff wound care education and knowledge 3. Limited access to wound measuring equipment, standardised assessment and documentation 4. Inconsistent and subjective approach to wound care. Aim • Facilitate efficient, reliable digital wound imaging, wound measurement, documentation and monitoring of wound progress on one data platform. Objectives • Procure a digital solution that supports system-wide evidence based wound care. • Evaluate the suitability for expanding the concept of digital wound assessment for wider adoption. Methods A digital application was sourced and funded to test the feasibility and suitability within community nursing services within a large rural and urban geographical area. The clinical site ran the proof of concept for 8 weeks from June 2023-August 2023. Pre and post implementation questionnaires were developed for data collection. Results • 67% of clinicians found it “easy” to input wound assessment information on the digital application • 50% of users reported that using the digital application improved their communication with other clinicians • 66% of users reported that the digital application assisted with their communication with the patient regarding their wound care • 83% of users reported that the digital app assisted with real time tracking and monitoring of the wound(s) progress • 83% of users reported that the digital app supports their clinical assessment and documentation of wound care Next steps Completion of the National Business Case and tender process Adoption and integration in wound care services across all care settings Feasibility and usability with a focus on “shared care” Conclusion This proof of concept evaluation has demonstrated that “pinch point specialist areas” within community nursing such as wound care can be enhanced through a digital health solution. Digital applications can improve access for the nursing workforce and the patient cohort to the right clinical expert at the right time in the right setting.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Poster)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	/dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/good_health_and_well_being
Departments or Groups:
Depositing User:	Admin SSL
Date Deposited:	13 Sep 2024 14:35
Last Modified:	23 Oct 2024 20:32
URI:	https://repository.wit.ie/id/eprint/7825

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