Authors: (including presenting author): :
Lai SY(1), Tong MH(1), Tsang SW(1), Chim CK(1), Li SYC(2), Kwok MLA(3), Leung KWM(4).
Affiliation: :
(1)Department of Community Outreach Services Team(COST), New Territories East Cluster(NTEC), (2)Central Nursing Division, Shatin Hospital, (3)Central Nursing Division, Prince of Wales Hospital, NTEC., (4)Department of Family Medicine, NTEC
Keyword 1: :
Smart Glass Technology
Keyword 3: :
Community Nursing
Keyword 4: :
Cost effectiveness
Keyword 5: :
Tele-consultation
Keyword 6: :
Innovation in Health Care
Introduction: :
In the NTEC COST, 60% of community care involves wound management. Traditionally, team wound nurses are used to provide onsite consultations for those complex wound conditions, sometimes, tele-consultations may be chosen but often require repeated calls, making the process inefficient. Smart glasses offer a hands-free, first-person view for remote wound assessment, allowing nurses to follow real-time advice and potentially increasing consultation capacity, reducing travel time and expenses. A pilot project was conducted to test this technology.
Objectives: :
-To expand wound nurse consultation capacity by reducing the travel time and travel expenses
-To promote new technology to enhance consultation processes to community nurses
-To prevent avoidable AED admission related to wound conditions.
Methodology: :
Patients with complex wounds under North District Hospital COST were recruited for smart glasses consultations initiated by community nurses. Onsite visits were arranged if necessary, and wound progressions were monitored for 28 days. Nurses’ acceptance was evaluated using the Technology Acceptance Model7(TAM).
Result & Outcome: :
42 patients with 43 complex wound conditions recruited. Wound types included 35 Complex wound, 8 Complicated Drain condition. 4 patients dropped out due to poor signal. 38 patients with 39 wounds completed 4 weeks monitor. Total 93 tele-consultations conducted. Total 82 additional visits provided by team wound nurses in expected travel time. Total expense saved $23027 and time saved 3439 minutes(57.3 hours). That meant $247.6 and 36.9 minutes saved caused 0.88 visit provided additionally per each tele consultation done
Wound condition evaluated. 32/39( 82.1%)wounds improved or healed. 5(12.8%)conditions kept static, 2(5.1%) got worsen and 1(2.6%)patient admission due to wound condition. TAM scores from 13 nurses averaged 4.5/5, indicating high acceptance and intention to use the technology.
