Point-of-Care Digital Innovation for Wound Care Patient Education: Instant Personalized Dressing Brochure Tool

Abstract Body: Background: To successfully perform self-wound care, patients/caregivers frequently need to perform individualized multi-step dressing changes at home. Effective teaching of wound care regimens is critical to avoid adverse outcomes(1). Literature shows that customized educational visual aids used at the point-of-care enhance wound knowledge, self-care, and wound healing(2). Customization of educational aids at the point-of-care is often impractical or time-consuming. We aimed to develop a digital point-of-care solution to expedite the creation of personalized educational materials in English and Spanish to support patient self-care. Method: Using literacy-supportive methods(3), the solution was developed as a tool* within a clinical decision support web-application** as follows: •Paper-based customizable educational visual aids in English/Spanish were developed, tested and optimized(2) •Digital version of the customizable aids was built with robust programming language_/library_/framework_. It instantly generates personalized dressing change brochures for patients •Tool was tested by patients and clinicians at 3 wound clinics. For each patient, clinicians digitally customized/printed a pictorial brochure at the point-of-care, and used it to teach patients complex dressing change routines. Upon follow up, clinicians/patients evaluated the effectiveness of the brochure Results:  Evaluation was completed by clinicians (n=5) and patients (n=17). •Most patients (94.1%) found his/her brochure to be “very helpful”/”helpful” (average score: 4.6; 1= “not helpful”, 5= “very helpful”). •Clinicians found all brochures (100%) “very helpful”/“helpful” in supporting teaching to all patients (average score 4.8) •Clinicians found almost all brochures (94.1%) “very helpful”/“helpful” in increasing patient adherence to the treatment plan (average score: 4.5) Conclusion:  A digital solution that instantly creates personalized, multi-step dressing change brochures for patients in English/Spanish was found to be beneficial in improving patient understanding and adherence to wound self-care. To our knowledge, it is the first point-of-care solution of its kind.