Supporting wound care teams with effective digital tools

Date

24/11/2022

Category

Bleepa

Insights

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Bleepa’s in-app module enables healthcare professionals (HCPs) to rapidly capture photos of wounds and minor injuries to add to the patient record.

Wound care in the community

In the community most wound care is undertaken by district nurses visiting with patients in their own homes and practice nurses in GP surgeries, with input from a tissue viability nurse (TVN) as required.

For many of the community nursing specialists we spoke to, there was no clear or secure channel to manage taking photos and communicating with colleagues for advice and guidance, where needed.

Instead, they would capture photography of a patient wound on their own mobile device, return to a desktop to upload that image, and then share it via email with colleagues and TVNs.

Not only is this process time consuming, but there are understandable concerns around storing sensitive patient data on personal devices or properly capturing those images as part of the patient’s care record.

For busy TVNs, some based in the community and some in primary or secondary care settings, there was also the challenge of managing those consultations coming in from multiple channels.

It’s clear there is a need for a simple way for HCPs to securely share medical photography for quicker, more efficient discussions with colleagues and specialists to make the work of all those involved in wound care simpler and more secure.

With Bleepa, the photo capture and clinical communications process can all happen within the app, with no images stored on personal devices and the discussion can be added to the auditable patient record. Rather than both HCPs needing to visit the patient at the same time, a picture can be taken, uploaded and advice sought from the TVN directly.

Bleepa in action in secondary care

Over the past year, we have been working with the Royal Berkshire Hospital (RBH) in a pilot to deploy Bleepa as a secure, fast photo-capture tool. Utilising Bleepa, RBH’s busy emergency department staff have been empowered to capture images of wounds and burns, which can then be shared as part of patient referrals within and outside of the Trust.

For RBH, Bleepa has facilitated an easy-to-use, secure channel for the capturing and sharing of wound and minor injuries photography in an acute setting as well as allowing advice and guidance to be provided quickly and easily.

“We can easily record patient consent when we take the image, add it to the patient record, and communicate with colleagues for efficient, well-informed burns, plastics and other specialty referrals. Any reduction in the time taken to review patients and help to improve their journey through the hospital is crucial when every second counts.”

Justine Loh, Consultant in Emergency Medicine and Paediatric Emergency Medicine, Digital Health Lead in ED

With Bleepa’s cloud architecture, any images can easily be shared across any care setting, whether that’s in the community or secondary care and can help to bring colleagues closer together to manage patient care. The time saved for all parties involved is invaluable.

Appropriate treatment can commence more quickly with wound healing time potentially reduced, cutting back frustrating delays and disruption for the patient.