Self-taken images of surgical wounds (Selfi wound study)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the feasibility of a method for the collection of self/carer-taken images of primary surgical wounds after leaving hospital for remote and improved assessment of surgical site infection.
IRAS ID
239186
Contact name
Rhiannon Macefield
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
4263, North Bristol NHS Trust project reference number
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Infection of the wound after surgery (surgical site infection;SSI) is problematic for patients and expensive to the health service. Monitoring how the wound is healing is therefore key for reducing rates of SSI. Accurate assessment of wounds is challenging because many problems occur after the patient has left hospital.
The aim of this study is to see if it is possible for people to take a clear photograph of their wound after they have left hospital using their own mobile devices with cameras (e.g. smartphone, tablet computer). We want to know if this could be a useful method to use in everyday care and research studies, to help assess how the wound is healing after people have left hospital.
The study has two phases. Participants taking part in Phase A will be visited by the study researcher after they have left hospital after having surgery. Participants (with help if required) will be asked to follow instructions to take a photograph of the wound and ‘upload’ it to an online study database and discuss any difficulties/problems with the study researcher. Findings will be used to improve the instructions until they are clear and easy to follow. A new group of participants (Phase B) will be asked to follow the finalised instructions and take and upload a photograph of the wound remotely (without a researcher being present). We will look at the quality of the photographs to see if they are suitable for assessing how the wound is healing.
We are inviting people who are undergoing surgery and own/have access to a digital camera/mobile device. The acceptability and feasibility of the process, and quality of the photograph, will be explored as the first step in assessing its potential for a method to help assess how the wound is healing after leaving hospital.REC name
West Midlands - Coventry & Warwickshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/WM/0096
Date of REC Opinion
8 May 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion