Healthy.io has announced the launch of a digital wound management solution, which is an extension of Healthy.io’s clinical grade colour recognition products. According to a statement, this solution will help healthcare professionals objectively assess chronic wounds and track their progress over time through a repeatable process. The solution was successfully registered with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in December 2019.
A massive burden, chronic wounds affect 6.5 million people in the USA, costing more than US$25 billion annually. The ageing population and an increase in chronic disease, such as obesity and diabetes, is also expected to further compound the chronic wound problem.
It has been stated by Healthy.io that the current method for measuring and documenting chronic wounds is inconsistent and rudimentary. Measurement by nurses is done with basic tools like paper rulers, and it is difficult to share and track results over time. This can lead to incorrect treatment, prolonged healing times, and growing distress for patients.
“Nurses, already overextended, are on the front line of wound care and are the real heroes, but the tools they are using today have not changed in decades. We believe this is the heart of the problem and why we have created a solution that will help them accurately track wound progress over time,” said Yonatan Adiri, founder and CEO of Healthy.io. “Our expertise, robust partnerships, and track record in clinical grade image and colour recognition position us to make a significant impact on this market.”
Using a smartphone app and two calibration stickers placed around a wound to track dimensions, nurses can now scan the wound and get a measurement quickly and effectively. Healthy.io’s technology also builds a 3D image, enabling more comprehensive documentation. The app measures wounds and captures standardised visual records over time, which is expected to eliminate human error and discrepancies that are common in today’s methods due to subjective analysis and inaccurate measurement.
“The biggest impact for us is having photographs of the wound. It has given us the chance to review wounds and to think about wound care before the patient even enters the room,” says Gill Cooper, clinical lead nurse at Wokingham Medical Centre, UK, where the solution is being used.
The product, which is also CE marked, is currently being used at Care City and Modality Partnership’s Wokingham Medical Centre in the UK.
