The clinical effectiveness of integrated digital wound management systems

Objective

To examine the evidence for the clinical and cost-effectiveness of integrated digital wound management (IDWM) systems.

Method

Using rapid review methodologies a search was conducted for studies evaluating IDWM systems in a healthcare setting. Searches were conducted in six research databases from 2012 up to 29 September 2023. A single reviewer screened all records. Data extraction was checked by a second reviewer.

Results

Searches identified 5100 articles for screening, of which 17 met the inclusion criteria. The findings from the included studies showed that IDWM reliably and accurately measured surface areas, particularly of wounds between 3–10cm2 in size; however, wound boundaries required manual adjustment for some wounds. Systems were not accurate for measuring wound depth. Feasibility studies (n=8) found IDWM is feasible, but there were limited comparative outcomes available. IDWM appeared to reduce the time taken to measure wounds in practice. The available evidence did not allow determination of cost-effectiveness.

Conclusion

The results of this analysis showed that IDWM is a promising intervention for wound care; however, more comparative evidence is needed to determine whether it is clinically or cost-effective.