eHealth in wound care

In light of the increased need to be able to manage patients on distance, caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns, EWMA has decided to focus on supporting the implementation of telemedicine and telehealth services in wound management. 

The EWMA Telemedicine Project includes a number of activities, aiming to provide guidance and support knowledge sharing about telemedicine in wound management in Europe and across the world. 

Below you can find an overview of current and previous EWMA initiatives supporting these aims.


Minimum Dataset/Criteria

During the Joint EWMA Journées Cicatrisations Virtual Conference, EWMA will initiate a discussion about the content of a minimum dataset for use in teleconsultations and collection of data in wound management.

EWMA finds that data collection is an important opportunity related to establishment of telemedicine services, and wish to engage in the development of a common European dataset to support comparable data across Europe. 

Below you can find two examples of dataset applied in France and Switzerland. Join the virtual conference netoworking session and let us know what you think about this.

 


EWMA Telemedicine Webinars

In autumn 2020, EWMA will continue the focus on telemedicine with a series of webinars. 

EWMA has hosted a several webinars on the topic, with focus on the varios aspects to consider when implementing a telemedicine service.

View all EWMA webinars available on-demand here >>
 

Below you can find a list of the webinars currently planned. These will be updated regularly with information about timing and speakers. The webinars will also be posted via EWMA social media platforms and newsletters. 

Sign up for the EWMA newsletter here >>

 


    Webinars available on demand


    How can data help you and your patients? Implementation of digital tools in Danish wound management

    Live webinar held: 10 March 2021

    Speakers: Brita Ravn, Klaus Kirketerp-Møller, Trine Rolighed Thomsen
    Moderators: Sebastian Probst & Luc Téot

    Now available on-demand

     

    Telemedicine - patient and staff education

    Live webinar held: 29 October 2020

    Speakers: Ann Price, Patricia Price and Klaus Kirketerp-Møller
    Moderator: Sebastian Probst

    Now available on-demand

     

    Wound care via telemedicine - care parthways & teams

    Live webinar held: 7 October 2020

    Speakers: Rut Öien, Sebastian Probst, José Verdu Soriano
    Moderator: Sebastian Probst and Luc Téot

    Now available on-demand

     

    Safety and regulations in telemedicine

    Live webinar held:10 September 2020

    Speakers: Anne Dompmartin and Luc Teot
    Moderator: Sebastian Probst

    Now available on-demand

     

    Telemedicine in wound management: current practice and future potential

    Live webinar held: 5 May 2020

    Speakers: Luc Téot and Alberto Piaggesi
    Moderator: Samantha Holloway

    Now avaiable on demand



    The role of telemedicine in wound management during COVID-19

    EWMA Council Member, Luc Teot has written an article on the Telemedicine and Opportunities in Wound Care. An Overview of Solutions for Beginners. According to Teot, “Telemedicine should be considered as the best way to prevent contamination during COVID-19 outbreak and provide the relevant care to chronic wound patients”. 

    In France, telemedicine was included in the public health code in October 2010. In this article, Luc Teot shares the French experience with implementing telemedicine in wound care and discusses some challenges and solutions in details. 


    EWMA Survey on Telemedicine

    EWMA has conducted a small survey to collect information about the use of telemedicine/telehealth within wound management across Europe. The survey closed 16 October 2020.

    We thank all of those who contributed with their replies. 

    The survey results will be published in the Journal of the European Wound Management Association in April 2021.


    United4Health

    From 2013 to 2015 EWMA was a partner in the EU supported United4Health project which aimed to support large scale deployment of eHealth services in Europe.

    You can read more about EWMAs involvement in the United4Health project here

    At this page we provide links to useful documents for health care professionals or administrators needing information about for example:

    • The available knowledge base for use of telehealth and telemedicine in wound care
    • What to consider before implementation
    • How to handle the challenges related to system interoperability

    Available EWMA resources

    Please note that you need to log into the EWMA Knowledge Centre to access these materials. This is free of charge. To be sent directly to the materials, please log in first and then press the links below.


    Overview document by EWMA and Wounds Australia

    As a deliverable for the United4health project, EWMA has published a document on eHealth in wound care: "eHealth in Wound Care - Overview and Key Issues to Consider Before Implementation"

    The document was written in collaboration with Wounds Australia.

    The document includes an introduction to terminology, a method for evaluation of eHealth solutions, an overview of available evidence, a discussion about the barriers and facilitators for the use of eHealth in wound care, and a road map for implementation in clinical practice.

    Download the document here 


    EWMA Conference webcasts on eHelath/telemedicine

    Please note that you need to log into the EWMA Knowledge Centre, before you click these links, in order to be sent directly to their location. 


    EWMA Conference e-posters


    Experiences and publications from other organisations

    In this section you can find published material or further information about telehealth and telemedicine services in use i wound managament. Please note that this is not a complete list. If you have information which is relevant to share at this website, please contact the EWMA Secretariat, ewma@ewma.org

     

    • The eMedic project: Baltic region project testing telemedicine supported DFU care

    The eMedic project took place from 2011 to 2014 and tested telemedicine services related to diabetes care, including diabetic foot care.

    The project was funded by the EU central Baltic Interreg IV A Programme and included hospitals in Estonia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden.

    More information: 



    Useful sources of information (not specific to wound care)

    The following organisations and projects provide useful information for those who are looking for further information about telemedicine and telehealth in general:

     

    EHTEL is a pan European multi-stakeholder forum providing a leadership and networking platform for European, corporate, institutional and individual actors dedictated to the improvement of healthcare delivery through eHealth.

    Recent publications by EHTEL are available for free download here

     

    The Momentum Thematic Network is a platform across which the key players share their knowledge and experience in deploying telemedicine services into routine care so as to build a body of good practice. They are working together to define a Blueprint that validates a consolidated set of methods supporting the telemedicine service implementation process.

    Recent publications by Momentum are available for free download here

     

      The Personal Connected Health Alliance aims to transform healthcare through personalized, interoperable connected health solutions. Among other things PCHA take technical leadership by publishing the Continua Design Guidelines, an open implementation framework for interoperability of personal connected health devices and solutions.

      Recent publications by PCHA are available for free download here