TWIST - Tracking Wound Infection with Smartphone Technology
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Can a smartphone-delivered questionnaire facilitate the assessment of surgical site infection, and result in earlier treatment? A randomized-controlled trial in emergency surgery patients.
IRAS ID
196449
Contact name
Ewen Harrison
Contact email
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
Can a smartphone-delivered questionnaire facilitate the assessment of surgical site infection, and result in earlier treatment? A randomized-controlled trial in emergency surgery patients.
Surgical site infection is defined by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as an infection in the skin and soft tissues of a surgical wound, within 30 days of the operation. It is a common problem, and complicates 2-10% of general surgery operations. The majority of cases are diagnosed outside of hospital and can be treated with oral antibiotics.
Interest in the use of technology in medicine is increasing, with the potential that more advanced technology will help facilitate communication between clinicians and patients, aid in the assessment of patients, and improve clinical decision making. Over two-thirds of people now own smartphones, and regularly use them to access the internet. We wish to use a smartphone delivered questionnaire to help assess SSI and see if this improves access to care and time to treatment.
We will be recruiting emergency surgery patients with smartphones at the Royal Infirmary and Western General Hospitals in Edinburgh.
Participants will be divided into two groups. One group will receive the online questionnaire, if they are concerned about their wound, they can use the questionnaire to answer a series of questions. If their answers suggest SSI, a clinician will contact them to advise further assessment and treatment. They will also be asked to answer the questionnaire three times during the trial (to collect responses from those without symptoms), and upload photos of their wounds to a secure database.
The second group of patients will receive normal post-operative care.
After 30 days, patients will have a follow-up consultation, to determine if they have had a wound infection (this can be via telephone or face-to-face, according to participant preference).
REC name
South East Scotland REC 02
REC reference
16/SS/0072
Date of REC Opinion
24 May 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion