Healthy.io, a global technology business, has launched the first usage of its ground-breaking wound care app in Wales, allowing the patient to have their wounds examined and tracked from the comfort of their own homes.
The eight-month initiative, which is now being implemented across Swansea Bay and Neath Port Talbot by Swansea Bay University Health Board, is being funded by the Welsh Government’s Digital Solutions Fund (DSF) and supervised by Digital Health Ecosystem Wales (DHEW). Between October 11th and 26th, the experiment reached 30 patients, with 36 individual wounds being digitally tracked and nine wound types being diagnosed by 18 doctors using the program.
Six percent of NHS Wales’ yearly budget is spent on wound treatment, which costs £330 million, or £330 million each year. This might lead to unneeded follow-up appointments or outpatient surgeries, which can cause capacity concerns and delays for patients who need care.
The Digital Wound Management Solution from Healthy.io enables district nurses to travel to patients for routine check-ups and scan wounds using an app that integrates with existing software on smartphones and tablets. These are then uploaded to a secure digital site that clinical professionals can use to diagnose and track the evolution of wounds over time, as well as provide digital consultation services.
This technology enables early diagnosis of static wounds, facilitating earlier intervention and alleviating unnecessary pain. By utilizing a digital wound management system, practitioners can also engage patients in their wound healing journey, which has been shown to improve patient engagement and overall wellbeing in other areas. Additionally, Healthy.io’s Digital Wound Management Solution aids clinical personnel and healthcare services by alleviating administrative stress and optimizing work processes through a streamlined and consistent wound recording and assessment process.
In the southwest of England, trusts like Livewell are already using this proven technique. The Swansea Bay University Health Board has joined the ranks of those organizations devoted to using digital transformation to improve patient outcomes and health system efficiency. In order to build a two-way communication with healthcare workers, Healthy.io provided face-to-face training.
Healthy.io’s UK managing director and chief commercial officer, Katherine Ward, said: “We are excited to introduce our Digital Wound Management Solution to physicians at Swansea Bay University Health Board, which will be our first NHS Wales site. Traditional wound care management consumes a lot of time and resources for professionals, and it can be difficult for patients as well. We support patients in having their treatment managed closer to home by making routine wound monitoring digital. This helps already overburdened healthcare providers make better clinical judgments.”
