Impact of digital wound care solution on healing time: A descriptive study in home health settings.

BACKGROUND

Chronic wounds pose significant challenges in home healthcare (HH) due to prolonged healing times and high costs. Digital wound care solutions (DWCS) have shown potential for improving healing efficiency. This study evaluated the impact of continuous DWCS use on healing times at HH organizations and explored area reduction in non-healed yet improved pressure injuries (PIs) and diabetic ulcers (DUs).

METHODS

This descriptive study analyzed 195,915 wound assessments from 59 HH organizations using DWCS in 2022 and 2023. Average healing time was calculated by wound type and compared across the two years, with subgroup analyses for wounds healing within three months versus longer. Improvements in non-healed DUs and PIs were further categorized by initial wound size (≤2 cm², >2 cm² for DUs; ≤4 cm², >4 cm² for PIs).

RESULTS

Average healing time for all wounds decreased significantly from 62.5 days in 2022 to 38.6 days in 2023, a 38.2% improvement (p < 0.001). DU and PIs showed reductions of 30.8 and 29.3 days, respectively. The proportion of wounds healing within three months rose by 8.9%, with decreased average healing times within this period. For wounds requiring over three months, the average time saved was 57.6 days (8.2 weeks; P = 0.014), representing a 27% improvement. Non-healed but improving PIs showed increase in area reduction from 5.2 cm² to 17.7 cm², with a 25.4% faster time to reduction. Larger PIs (>4 cm²) showed greater reductions, with time to improvement decreasing by 35.5 days (34.7%, p < 0.001). DUs also improved, with area reduction increasing from 4.8 cm² to 15.3 cm² and a 23.8% faster reduction time, while larger DUs (>2 cm²) saw a 32.6-day decrease in time to improvement.

CONCLUSION

Continuous DWCS use significantly reduces healing times and improves wound area reduction, underscoring its effectiveness in enhancing wound care outcomes in HH settings.