The Clinical Effectiveness of Integrated Digital Wound Management Systems



The Clinical Effectiveness of Integrated Digital Wound Management Systems

Summary: This rapid review assesses the evidence for clinical and cost-effectiveness of integrated digital wound management (IDWM) systems, which use 3D imaging and apps for accurate wound assessment and monitoring. From 17 studies (2012–2023), IDWM shows high reliability for surface area measurements (especially 3–10cm² wounds), reduces assessment time by up to 79%, improves documentation and patient satisfaction, and enables remote monitoring. However, depth measurement is inaccurate, comparative healing outcomes are limited, and cost-effectiveness remains undetermined due to sparse data.

Key Highlights:

  • IDWM accurately measures wound surface areas with ICCs of 0.964–0.998, outperforming paper rulers that overestimate by 29–43%, though manual boundary adjustments are often needed.
  • Systems reduce measurement time significantly (e.g., 77% faster for area calculation, 92.2% first-attempt image quality vs. 75.7% manual).
  • Feasibility studies report high patient satisfaction (86–94%) and early management changes (36% of cases), with healing rates of 32–42.6% in select cohorts.
  • Limited cost data suggests potential savings like $99.65 per rural visit from reduced travel, but broader economic analyses are lacking.
  • Future research needs comparative trials to confirm impacts on healing outcomes and integration with electronic records for optimized wound care.

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    Keywords:
    integrated digital wound management,
    IDWM systems,
    wound measurement,
    chronic wound care,
    digital wound assessment