Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust is piloting the digital wound app, Minuteful for Wound by Healthy.io, with an aim to improve care for local people across the region and follow best practice outlined in the national wound care strategy programme.
The app was introduced to Neston Care Community Team, Neston Dressing Clinic, Central Dressing Clinic and the Tissue Viability Service as part of a 12-month pilot, aiming to test the capabilities of the app in clinic and community settings, including in the homes of patients. Clinicians use the camera on a smartphone to scan a wound before the AI within the app assesses the image, detailing progress and helping “to determine if a wound is the same as before or if it is getting better”.
Speaking about how this compares to their previous processes in this area, Jenni Kirkham, CWP project manager, said: “Before, we would have to rely on clinical staff taking their own measurements of a wound by hand. They would then have to record it into the system. With this app – the measurements of wounds is standardised and the amount of admin required by staff is reduced – allowing them to spend more time providing care.”
Emphasising the safety measures in place with the app, the trust made it clear that “scan data is not stored on phones”, explaining how the image is deleted once the upload and assessment are complete. According to the trust, the app has already been through “rigorous clinician-led testing and clinical safety reviews to ensure it is appropriate for use” and is now being used by a total of 15 NHS Trusts who have noted both “care and cost improvements”.
Date: July 31