International Wound Journal

Telemedicine models of care: A retrospective review of telehealth in a Melbourne outpatient chronic wound service in 2021

Abstract

To review the application of telehealth guidelines developed by Bondini et al for clinicians to determine patient suitability for telehealth in an outpatient Chronic Wound Service, including the proportion of patients suitable for telehealth, type and mode of telehealth encounters. Retrospective, random convenience sample of patients attending the Chronic Wound Service in 2021. Fifty-six patients were included, most with leg/foot wounds (93%), median age 74 [54–84], 64% male. Four patients at admission and 19 patients at review met criteria for telehealth. Six percent of encounters were telehealth; phone-only (82%), unscheduled nursing reviews (77%) in patients with healing wounds. Thirty patients (54%) received at least one telehealth encounter. Telehealth occurred 35.6 days later in the admission than face-to-face encounters (p < 0.05, 95% CI 14.9–56.3). There was a significant relationship between patients receiving telehealth and meeting telehealth suitability criteria on reviews (X ² (1) = 19.6*, p < 0.001). Eighteen percent of patients required wound-related hospitalisation during their outpatient admission. Telehealth guidelines identified patients suitable for telehealth, although the proportion of patients was small. Telehealth was mostly utilised for nurse-led telephone calls in patients with improving wounds. Future research into use of telephone review for clinical standards of wound care is warranted.