Download PDF
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Indian J Plast Surg 2012; 45(02): 412-417
DOI: 10.4103/0970-0358.101330
Review Article
Association of Plastic Surgeons of India

Telemedicine for wound management

Ravi K. Chittoria
Department of Plastic Surgery and Advanced Center for Telemedicine, JIPMER, Pondicherry, India
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
27 November 2019 (online)

Also available at
  PDF Download Permissions and Reprints

ABSTRACT

The escalating physiological, psychological, social and financial burdens of wounds and wound care on patients, families and society demand the immediate attention of the health care sector. Many forces are affecting the changes in health care provision for patients with chronic wounds, including managed care, the limited number of wound care therapists, an increasingly ageing and disabled population, regulatory and malpractice issues, and compromised care. The physician is also faced with a number of difficult issues when caring for chronic wound patients because their conditions are time consuming and high risk, represent an unprofitable part of care practice and raise issues of liability. Telemedicine enhances communication with the surgical wound care specialist. Digital image for skin lesions is a safe, accurate and cost-effective referral pathway. The two basic modes of telemedicine applications, store and forward (asynchronous transfer) and real-time transmission (synchronous transfer, e.g. video conference), are utilized in the wound care setting. Telemedicine technology in the hands of an experienced physician can streamline management of a problem wound. Although there is always an element of anxiety related to technical change, the evolution of wound care telemedicine technology has demonstrated a predictable maturation process.

KEY WORDS

Application - telemedicine - wound
 
  • 1 Perednia DA, Allen A. Telemedicine technology and clinical applications. JAMA 1995; 273:483-8.
  • 2 Chittoria RK, Singh U, Muralidhar A. Telemedicine for Doctors. 1st ed. New Delhi (India): AITBS Publishers; 2009.
  • 3 Meyer BC, Friedman LS. Telemedicine-closing in on distance medicine. San Diego Physician 2010; 97:36-9.
  • 4 Dobke MK, Renkielska A, De Neve J, Chao J, Bhavsar D. Telemedicine for problematic wound management: Enhancing communication between long-term care, skilled nursing, and home caregivers and a surgical wound specialist. WOUNDS: A Compendium of Clinical Research and Practice 2006; 18:256-61.
  • 5 Tadros A, Murdoch R, Stevenson JH. Digital image referral for suspected skin malignancy - a pilot study of 300 patients. J Plast Reconstr Aesth Surg 2009; 62:1048-53.
  • 6 Dobke MK, Bhavsar D, Gosman AA, De Neve J, De Neve B. Streamlining the management of patients with problematic wounds: Must a multidisciplinary team formulate all patient management plans? WOUNDS: A Compendium of Clinical Research and Practice 2007; 19:340-4.
  • 7 Terry M, Halstead LS, O′Hare P, Gaskill C, Ho PS, Obecny J, et al. Feasibility study of home care wound management using telemedicine. Adv Skin Wound Care 2009; 22:358-64.
  • 8 Patricoski C, Ferguson AS, Brudzinski J, Spargo G. Selecting the right digital camera for telemedicine. Telemed J E Health 2010; 16:1-8.
  • 9 Jones SM, Banwell PE, Shakespeare PG. Telemedicine in wound healing. Int Wound J 2004; 1:225-30.
  • 10 Dobke MK, Bhavsar D, Gosman A, De Neve J, De Neve B. Pilot trial of telemedicine as a decision aid for patients with chronic wounds. Telemed J E Health 2008; 14:245-9.
  • 11 Berguist TF, Thompson K, Gehl C, Muno Pineda J. Satisfaction ratings after receiving Internet- based cognitive rehabilitation in persons with memory impairments after severe acquired brain injury. Telemed J E Health 2010; 16:417-23.
  • 12 Bridgen M, Minty A, Pilatzke S, Vidova LD, Sherrington L, McPhail K. A survey of recipient client physician satisfaction with teleoncology services originating from Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Telemed J E Health 2008; 14:250-4.
  • 13 Hanson D, Calhoun J, Smith D. Changes in provider attitudes toward telemedicine. Telemed J E Health 2009; 15:39-43.
  • 14 Loera JA. Generational differences in acceptance of technology. Telemed J E Health 2008; 14:1087-90.
  • 15 May C, Harrison R, MacFarlane A, Williams T, Mair F, Wallace P. Why do telemedicine systems fail to normalize as stable models of service delivery? J Telemed Telecare 2003; 9(suppl 1):25-6.
  • 16 McIntyre T, Monahan T, Villegas L, Doyle J, Jones DB. Teleconferencing surgery enhances effective communication and enriches medical education. Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech 2008; 18; 45-8.
  • 17 Nesbitt TS, Hilty DM, Siefkin A. Development of a telemedicine program. Western J Med 2000; 173:169-74.
  • 18 Stanberry B. Legal and ethical aspects of telemedicine. J TelemedTelecare 2006; 22:166-74.
  • 19 Nijland A, Julia EW, Pinjen GV. Increasing the use of e-consultation in primary care: Results of an online survey among non-users of e-consultation. Int J Med Inform 2009; 78:688-703.
  • 20 Xiao Y, Gagliano D, LaMonte M, et al. Design and evaluation of a real-time mobile telemedicine system for ambulance transport 2000;9:47-56.
  • 21 Foltynski P, Ladyzynski P, Wojcicki JM. Telemonitoring of diabetic foot ulcers being managed in the outpatient setting. The Diabetic Foot Journal 2012; 15:74-82.
  • 22 Caffery LJ, Smith AC. A literature review of email-based telemedicine. Stud Health Technol Inform 2010; 161:20-34.
  • 23 Turk E, Karagulle E, Aydogan C, Oguz H, Tarim A, Karakayali H, et al. Use of telemedicine and telephone consultation in decision-making and follow-up of burn patients: Initial experience from two burn units. Burns 2011; 37:415-9.
  • 24 Waran V, Selladurai BM, Bahuri NF, George GJ, Lim GP, Khine M. Teleconferencing using multimedia messaging service (MMS) for long-range consultation of patients with neurosurgical problems in an acute situation. J Trauma 2008; 64:362-5.