Introduction: This survey of wound care specialists in the UK aims to be the first study to establish the prevalence of mobile wound app use and the perceived barriers to their implementation in wound care. This article presents the quantitative findings of the study.

Method: A cross-sectional survey of UK-based wound clinicians was undertaken to explore the current use of mobile applications in the field of wound care. A 40 question SurveyMonkey survey was used and distributed via closed Facebook groups for clinicians working in UK-based wound care services. Data analysis included calculation of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for attitude scales, summary statistics and thematic analysis of free text responses. Not reported in this paper The STROBE checklist was considered within the methodology of the study.

Results: Overall, n=250 survey responses were received. Complete survey responses were received from n=153 wound clinicians. This included responses from 121 nurses and 29 podiatrists and from clinicians from all four devolved nations of the UK. Only 21–24% of clinicians reported using mobile applications for wound care at the time of this survey. Almost all (99.5%) of clinicians responding to the survey have access to a smartphone with most (58.7%) having both a personal and work smartphone

Conclusions: It is evident that UK-based clinicians currently use mobile smartphones regularly, including within their clinical work, but do not currently use wound care focussed mobile applications. Barriers affecting the implementation of mobile applications in wound care services include a lack of interoperability between mobile applications and other IT infrastructure, poor Wi-Fi signal, negative attitudes towards technology, a lack of workforce diversity and bureaucratic obstructions.

Implications for practice: Clinical leaders in wound care should consider the factors identified within this study when developing implementation strategies for new mobile application technologies into wound care services.

KEY WORDS  Digital  Attitudes  Barriers  Enablers  Wound healing

MATTHEW WYNN Lecturer in Adult Nursing, University of Salford Correspondence: Room 3.42 Mary Seacole Building, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4BR, m. 该Email地址已收到反垃圾邮件插件保护。要显示它您需要在浏览器中启用JavaScript。

MICHAEL CLARK Professor, Commercial Director, Welsh Wound Innovation Centre, Rhodfa Marics, Ynysmaerdy, Pontyclun

Abstract: The care and management of surgical incisional wounds continues to attract both interest and concern, due to continued high rates of surgical site infection (SSI) and morbidity. Novel approaches to objective wound assessment using non invasive imaging modalities show promise in providing independent, objective wound assessment but only with the proviso that the wound is visible and can be ‘seen’ by the imaging detector.

Methods: An online semi-structured questionnaire was distributed via Survey Monkey to tissue viability nurses. Data was summarised descriptively, with responses relating to participant demographics and use of wound dressings tabulated. Key variables were also cross tabulated to investigate possible associations between variables. An economic analysis was conducted to estimate average weekly costs associated with changing and applying dressings, including both staff and equipmen costs. 

Conclusion: The largest type of dressing products currently in use were non adherent. Dressing changes took place approximately twice per week: more frequently if wounds were assessed/diagnosed as infected. The majority of wound assessment and dressing changes were undertaken by band 5, 6 or 7 nurses. There is a potential role for non-invasive infrared thermography to stratify risk of later SSI based upon the temperature distribution across wound site and adjacent skin territories. Early and objective interventions for early wound infection can reduce hospital inpatient stay, community visits, antimicrobial usage, patient morbidity and healthcare costs related to wound infection.

KEY WORDS   Imaging  Infrared  Dressing change  Dressings, treatment  Pay grade  Regime  Sonography  Surgical wound

PASANG TAMANG Postgraduate Researcher School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield, UK.

CHARMAINE CHILDS PhD, Professor of Clinical Science, College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University, UK JOHN STEPHENSON, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Statistics, Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention, School of Human and Health Sciences, University of Huddersfield KAREN OUSEY, PhD, Professor of Skin Integrity, Director for the Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention - University of Huddersfield Department of Nursing

SAMANTHA HOLLOWAY Academic Editor, Wounds UK; Reader, Programme Director, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff

      For many years infection has been the leading cause of implant failure and different approaches have been used to overcome the difficulties faced with infection management. Commonly, implant infection occurs due to biofilm formation, and a better understanding of this has led to the prevention of biofilm formation. The coating of implants with antibiotics and other antimicrobials has been done for the past decades and recently, noble metal nanoparticles have been used as an alternative to titanium alloys. This case series will describe three different patients for whom antibiofilm coated implants were used with a good clinical outcome.

Key words: ■ Bactiguard coating ■ Orthopaedic prosthetic infection ■ Noble metal nanoparticle coating

Dato Dr Badrul Akmal Hisham Md Yusoff, Consultant Orthopaedic & Sports Surgeon Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz,UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia; Dr Mohamed Razzan Rameez, Medical Officer, Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz,UKM Medical Centre,Kuala Lumpur Malaysia; Dr Ahmad Farihan Mohd Don, Consultant Orthopaedic & Sports Surgeon Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz,UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia; Dr Muhamad Karbela Reza Bin Ramlan, Specialist Orthopaedic & Sports Surgeon, Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology Hospital Canselor Tuanku, Muhriz, UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Continued on page 28;

Dr Norlelawati Mohamad, Consultant in Sports Physician, Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz, UKM Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Professor Harikrishna KR Nair, Head of the Wound Care Unit, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Kuala Lumpur Malaysia; Declaration of Interest: The authors no conflict of interest with regards to this work. The Bactiguard coated implant used was sourced from Vigilenz Medical Devices Sdn Bhd.