Tracking Wound Infection With Smartphone Technology

Surgical site infection (SSI) is defined by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an infection in the skin and soft tissues of a surgical wound, within 30 days of the operation. It is a common problem, and complicates 2-10% of general surgery operations. The majority of cases are diagnosed outside of hospital and can be treated with oral antibiotics.

Interest in the use of technology in medicine is increasing, with the potential that more advanced technology will help facilitate communication between clinicians and patients, aid in the assessment of patients, and improve clinical decision making. Over two-thirds of people now own smartphones, and regularly use them to access the internet. The investigators wish to use a smartphone delivered questionnaire to help assess SSI and see if this improves access to care and time to treatment.

The investigators will be recruiting emergency surgery patients with smartphones at the Royal Infirmary and Western General Hospitals in Edinburgh.

Participants will be divided into two groups. One group will receive the wound assessment tool, if they are concerned about their wound, they can use the tool to answer a series of questions. If their answers suggest SSI, a clinician will contact them to advise further assessment and treatment. The participants will also be asked to respond to the tool three times during the trial (to collect responses from those without symptoms), and upload photos of their wounds to a secure database.

The second group of participants will receive normal post-operative care.

After 30 days, participants will have a follow-up consultation, to determine if they have had a wound infection (this can be via telephone or face-to-face, according to participant preference). They will also answer questions about their experience of the study, and use of services.