Wound complications following surgery remain a significant challenge for the NHS, contributing to increased readmissions, extended recovery periods, and rising costs.
Patients often face uncertainty in managing their recovery and understanding what 'good' wound healing looks like. This leads to an over reliance on reactive care methods and seeking help only when problems escalate. Not only does this impact patient outcomes, but leads to increasing GP and A&E visits, further compounding the pressure on our already overstretched health system.
As the NHS continues to embrace digital transformation, remote monitoring solutions are emerging that can enhance post-operative care and alleviate pressure on healthcare services.
Wound complications, including infections, are a leading cause of hospital readmissions, resulting in preventable costs and relapses in recovery for patients.
Each year, almost 2.1 million surgical patients in England have wound healing problems after surgery, of which 500,000 become infected. Most of these wound complications happen after patients have been discharged from hospital.
Early detection is essential to prevent complications, reduce readmissions, and improve patient outcomes. However, without remote monitoring, patients may not know when to seek help, leading to readmissions and appointments that could have been avoided.
Traditional wound monitoring depends heavily on in-person check-ups and manual follow-ups. While care delivery is often prioritised up to the point of discharge, with care teams already stretched, it is difficult to provide patients with all the tools they need to understand and monitor their recovery independently. This can lead to missed early signs of complications or unnecessary appointments as patients seek reassurance.
Sometimes, issues like pain, wound deterioration, or infection go unnoticed until they escalate. There is a risk of minor infections progressing to sepsis, a severe and often avoidable outcome. Conversely, healthy patients may lack the confidence to monitor their own progress and seek costly, avoidable appointments.
This gap reflects not necessarily a lack of care but rather the absence of structured, ongoing support and clear recovery guidelines.
The shift towards digital and remote wound monitoring is reshaping post-discharge care.
Digital wound monitoring enables clinicians to provide structured post-op guidance, empowering patients to detect potential complications early.
Take Bob, for example: following his knee replacement surgery, Bob's recovery can be monitored proactively. Bob can upload images, answer specific questions about his procedures, and seek advice as needed, creating a proactive layer of remote monitoring that reduces the need for frequent in-person appointments.
This system’s flexibility is a key advantage. Bob no longer needs to wait for scheduled follow-ups to address his concerns. Instead, he has access to digital tools that instil confidence in his recovery, providing reassurance that his progress is being monitored and that help is available when necessary.
Moreover, digital wound monitoring enables more personalised care by tailoring post-op monitoring and follow-ups based on each patient’s unique needs. Clinicians can stratify patients into cohorts depending on their risk levels. For instance, patients undergoing the same procedure—such as a routine hernia operation—may have different follow-up needs.
Higher-risk patients might receive more frequent monitoring, while lower-risk patients can self-manage with fewer check-ins. This approach not only empowers patients to take control of their recovery but also frees clinical teams to focus their attention where it is most needed.
Wound monitoring is just one area where digital workflows demonstrate their potential.
Expanding these tools across the post-discharge care spectrum could further enhance patient outcomes.
Digital workflows can be iterated and expanded to support Patient-Initiated Follow-up (PIFU) models, where patients like Bob can reach out to seek an appointment if he has concerns regarding his recovery as time progresses. His request and image uploads can be reviewed, where he is triaged and booked for his follow-up appointment.
Automatic engagement and communications can be set to check-in with Bob at specific intervals—such as one, two, or four weeks post-surgery—adjusting frequency as he progress to the point of discharge and is able to manage his own recovery confidently and independently.
The NHS Long Term Plan prioritises adopting digital technologies to reduce reliance on in-person care and improve patient outcomes. Digital wound monitoring aligns with this initiative, offering scalable, remote solutions seamlessly integrating with NHS systems.
By adopting these flexible, digital workflows, Trusts can lower hospital admissions, enhance care efficiency, and provide more personalised pathways for patients. From an operational standpoint, digital workflows supports financial goals by decreasing readmission rates, optimising clinical staff allocation, and streamlining processes, leading to considerable cost savings.
As the NHS continues its shift toward models of early detection and prevention, these tools can empower patients to take a more active role in their post-op recovery and manage their health independently.