Antibiotic prescription using a digital decision support system: a register-based study of patients with hard-to-heal ulcers in Sweden.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate differences in antibiotic prescription for patients with hard-to-heal ulcers assessed using a digital decision support system (DDSS) compared with those assessed without using a DDSS. A further aim was to examine predictors for antibiotic prescription. DESIGN: Register-based study. SETTING: In 2018-2019, healthcare staff in primary, community and specialist care in Sweden tested a DDSS that offers a mobile application for data and photograph transfer to a platform for multidisciplinary consultation and automatic transmission of data to the Registry of Ulcer Treatment (RUT). Register-based data from patients assessed and diagnosed using the DDSS combined with the RUT was compared with register-based data from patients whose assessments were merely registered in the RUT. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 117 patients assessed using the DDSS combined with the RUT (the study group) were compared with 1784 patients whose assessments were registered in the RUT without using the DDSS (the control group). PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The differences in antibiotic prescription were analysed using the Pearson's χ2 test. A logistic regression analysis was used to check for influencing factors on antibiotic prescription. RESULTS: Patients assessed using a DDSS in combination with the RUT had significantly lower antibiotic prescription than patients entered in the RUT without using the DDSS (8% vs 26%) (p=0.002) (only healed ulcers included). Predictors for antibiotic prescription were diabetes; long healing time; having an arterial, neuropathic or malignant ulcer. CONCLUSIONS: A DDSS with data and photograph transfer that enables multidisciplinary communication appears to be a suitable tool to reduce antibiotic prescription for patients with hard-to-heal ulcers.

Still engaged - healthcare staff's engagement when introducing a new eHealth solution for wound management: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: eHealth solutions have often been considered favourable for improved effectiveness and quality in healthcare services for wound management. Staff engagement related to organisational changes is a key factor for successful development and implementation of a new eHealth solution, like a digital decision support systems (DDSS). It is essential to understand the engagement process in terms of sustainability, wellbeing in staff and efficiency in a long-term perspective. The aim of this study was to describe healthcare staff's engagement during a 6-month test of an eHealth solution (DDSS) for wound management. METHODS: A qualitative design, including interviews conducted with healthcare staff working with wound management within primary, community and specialist care (n = 11) on two occasions: at the introduction of the solution and after 6 months, when the test period was over. Data were interpreted with qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Healthcare staff's descriptions from a 6-month test of an eHealth solution for wound management can be summarised as Engaging through meaning, but draining. The analysis revealed a result with three subcategories: Having a shared interest is stimulating, Good but not perfect and Exciting, but sometimes exhausting. The staff described their engagement as sustained through feelings of meaningfulness when using the eHealth solution, but limited by feelings of exhaustion due to heavy workload and lack of support and understanding from others. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the healthcare staff who tested the eHealth solution described themselves as individuals who easily become engaged when an idea and efforts felt meaningful. The staff needed resources to nourish engagement in their new role when implementing eHealth in the clinical everyday work of wound management. Allocating time and support are important to consider when planning for sustainable implementation of eHealth solutions in healthcare organisations.

Pain and analgesics in patients with hard-to-heal ulcers: using telemedicine or standard consultations.

OBJECTIVE: To compare consultations carried out via video with those performed in person for patients with painful, hard-to-heal ulcers, with a focus on ulcer pain and pain treatment. A further aim was to investigate predictors for pain and pain treatment. METHOD: This was a register-based, quasi-experimental study based on data from the Swedish Registry of Ulcer Treatment (RUT). A total of 100 patients with hard-to-heal ulcers diagnosed via video consultation were compared with 1888 patients diagnosed in person with regard to pain assessment, intensity and treatment. Ulcer pain intensity was assessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS). Normally distributed variables (age, VAS) were compared between consultation groups using Student's t-test. Non-normally distributed variables (ulcer size, ulcer duration) were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test, except for healing time, which was analysed with a log-rank test. Categorical variables (gender, ulcer aetiology and prescribed analgesics) were compared using Pearson's chi-square test (χ2). A p value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Predictors for pain and pain treatment were analysed in multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: The results showed a high presence of pain; 71% of patients with pain reported severe ulcer pain. There was no significant difference in ability to assess pain by VAS in the group diagnosed via video consultation (90%) compared with the group diagnosed in person (86%) (χ2, p=0.233). A significantly higher amount of prescribed analgesics was found for patients diagnosed via video (84%) compared with patients diagnosed by in-person assessment (68%) (χ2, p=0.044). Predictors for high-intensity pain were female gender or ulcers due to inflammatory vessel disease, while the predictors for receiving analgesics were older age, longer healing time and being diagnosed via video consultation. CONCLUSION: To identify, assess and treat ulcer pain is equally possible via video as by in-person consultation. The results of this study confirm that patients with hard-to-heal ulcers suffer from high-intensity ulcer pain, with a discrepancy between pain and pain relief. Further well-designed randomised controlled studies are necessary to understand how best to deploy telemedicine in ulcer pain treatment.

Health Care Staff's Experiences of Engagement When Introducing a Digital Decision Support System for Wound Management: Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: eHealth solutions such as digital decision support systems (DDSSs) have the potential to assist collaboration between health care staff to improve matters for specific patient groups. Patients with hard-to-heal ulcers have long healing times because of a lack of guidelines for structured diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. Multidisciplinary collaboration in wound management teams is essential. A DDSS could offer a way of aiding improvement within wound management. The introduction of eHealth solutions into health care is complicated, and the engagement of the staff seems crucial. Factors influencing and affecting engagement need to be understood and considered for the introduction of a DDSS to succeed. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe health care staff's experiences of engagement and barriers to and influencers of engagement when introducing a DDSS for wound management. METHODS: This study uses a qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted with 11 health care staff within primary (n=4), community (n=6), and specialist (n=1) care during the start-up of the introduction of a DDSS for wound management. The interviews focused on the staff's experiences of engagement. Content analysis by Burnard was used in the data analysis process. RESULTS: A total of 4 categories emerged describing the participants' experiences of engagement: a personal liaison, a professional commitment, an extended togetherness, and an awareness and understanding of the circumstances. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies barriers to and influencers of engagement, reinforcing that staff experience engagement through feeling a personal liaison and a professional commitment to make things better for their patients. In addition, engagement is nourished by sharing with coworkers and by active support and understanding from leadership.

Pain and analgaesics in patients with hard-to-heal ulcers: using telemedicine or standard consultations.

OBJECTIVE: To compare consultations carried out via video with those performed in person for patients with painful, hard-to-heal ulcers, with a focus on ulcer pain and pain treatment. A further aim was to investigate predictors for pain and pain treatment. METHOD: This was a register-based, quasi-experimental study based on data from the Swedish Registry of Ulcer Treatment (RUT). A total of 100 patients with hard-to-heal ulcers diagnosed via video consultation were compared with 1888 patients diagnosed in person with regard to pain assessment, intensity and treatment. Ulcer pain intensity was assessed by the visual analogue scale (VAS). Normally distributed variables (age, VAS) were compared between consultation groups using Student's t-test. Non-normally distributed variables (ulcer size, ulcer duration) were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test, except for healing time, which was analysed with a log-rank test. Categorical variables (gender, ulcer aetiology and prescribed analgesics) were compared using Pearson's chi-square test (χ2). A p value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Predictors for pain and pain treatment were analysed in multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: The results showed a high presence of pain; 71% of patients with pain reported severe ulcer pain. There was no significant difference in ability to assess pain by VAS in the group diagnosed via video consultation (90%) compared with the group diagnosed in person (86%) (χ2, p=0.233). A significantly higher amount of prescribed analgesics was found for patients diagnosed via video (84%) compared with patients diagnosed by in-person assessment (68%) (χ2, p=0.044). Predictors for high-intensity pain were female gender or ulcers due to inflammatory vessel disease, while the predictors for receiving analgesics were older age, longer healing time and being diagnosed via video consultation. CONCLUSION: To identify, assess and treat ulcer pain is equally possible via video as by in-person consultation. The results of this study confirm that patients with hard-to-heal ulcers suffer from high-intensity ulcer pain, with a discrepancy between pain and pain relief. Further well-designed randomised controlled studies are necessary to understand how best to deploy telemedicine in ulcer pain treatment.

Clinical evaluation with long-term follow-up of patients with pressure ulcers in one Swedish county.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct a screening, skin examination and risk assessment of patients with pressure ulcers (PUs) in one Swedish county (inpatient, primary and community care) with follow-up after six months to investigate ulcer healing, frequency of amputation and mortality rate linked to preventive measures. METHOD: The methodology recommended by the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel was used. Screening, risk assessment and skin examination were performed during March 2017. The modified Norton scale was used to assess PU risk, with a score of ≤20 indicating presence of risk. A research questionnaire was used to document prevention and treatment. Follow-up was performed after six months, during September 2017. The same research questionnaire was used to capture the current situation of the patients, including ulcer healing, frequency of amputation, and mortality rate. RESULTS: Screening covered 464 patients: 303 hospitalised, 68 in community care, and 93 in primary care. A total of 110 patients-55 at risk of PU and 55 with PUs, the majority of which were category 2-4 PUs-were included in the study. At follow-up, 67% were treated in community care, 32% in primary care, and 1% in hospital. Mortality rate for patients with PUs was 44%. Of the remaining 31 patients, 17 had unhealed PUs, 10 had healed PUs, two had undergone amputation, and complete follow-up data was missing in the remaining two patients. CONCLUSION: These results reflect the complex situation of an aged and frail patient group, including a lack of preventive measures and follow-up routines in community and primary care.

Comparing video consultation with inperson assessment for Swedish patients with hard-to-heal ulcers: registry-based studies of healing time and of waiting time.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate differences in ulcer healing time and waiting time between video consultation and inperson assessment for patients with hard-to-heal ulcers. SETTING: Patients treated at Blekinge Wound Healing Centre, a primary care centre covering the whole of Blekinge county (150 000 inhabitants), were compared with patients registered and treated according to the Registry of Ulcer Treatment, a Swedish national web-based quality registry. PARTICIPANTS: In the study for analysing ulcer healing time, the study group consisted of 100 patients diagnosed through video consultation between October 2014 and September 2016. The control group for analysing healing time consisted of 1888 patients diagnosed through inperson assessment during the same period. In the study for analysing waiting time, the same study group (n=100) was compared with 100 patients diagnosed through inperson assessment. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Differences in ulcer healing time were analysed using the log-rank test. Differences in waiting time were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: Median healing time was 59 days (95% CI 40 to 78) in the study group and 82 days (95% CI 75 to 89) in the control group (P<0.001). Median waiting time was 25 days (range: 1-83 days) in the study group and 32 days (range: 3-294 days) for patients diagnosed through inperson assessment (P=0.017). There were no significant differences between the study group and the control group regarding age, gender or ulcer size. CONCLUSIONS: Healing time and waiting time were significantly shorter for patients diagnosed through video consultation compared with those diagnosed through inperson assessment.