Poster: Utilizing Augmented Reality to Improve Patient Outcomes with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT)

Augmented reality (AR) provides benefits for wound care, including as hand-free imaging and remote viewing. The author conducted a case control study to evaluate use of AR in patients undergoing treatment with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT).

While there is known use for AR in health care, to date, there is little literature regarding the use and potential benefits of AR in wound care. In an effort to evaluate the potential positive impact of AR on outcomes of patients receiving NPWT, a case-control study was conducted. The study involved 27 patients at 1 hospital located in a small, rural town in Louisiana. Of the 27 patients included in the study, 15 were placed in the retrospective control group and 12 were placed in the AR group. In the study group, AR was used in hopes of decreasing complications of NPWT, thereby enhancing overall treatment outcomes. Of note, similar cases were selected to better compare outcomes to the control arm.

Patients in the study arm received NPWT in a hospital setting. Whenever treatment complications occurred during nights and/or weekends, the AR headset was utilized by the bedside nurse. Here, the remote wound care clinician verbally guided the nurse during dressing assessment; during troubleshooting, the offsite wound care personnel provided visual cues to the nurse.

Fewer interruptions in treatment time, decreased frequency of surgical revisions, and fewer readmissions (resulting from wound infection) were noted in the study arm.  Strong correlations between dressings removed prematurely and hospital readmissions resulting from wound infection as well as the number of dressing changes and number of complications were noted.

Augmented reality, as indicated in the abstract, can have a positive impact on outcomes related to NPWT use. As noted by the author, future research is needed to further explore the potential benefits of AE in wound care.

Poster PI-023 was featured at SAWC Fall 2021.