(CR-043) Bridging Gaps in Home Health: The Transformative Role of Wound Digital Technology in Empowering Clinicians and Improving Patient Outcomes

The shortage of qualified nursing professionals and the complexities of wound care make it difficult for healthcare systems to maintain a skilled workforce, leading to increased workload and reduced quality of care. 1 Digital wound care solution (DWCS) empowers licensed practical nurses (LPNs) to take a more active role in wound care during home visits, bridging the gap and optimizing nursing resources without compromising quality. 2   

This quality improvement study aimed to examine the impact of DWCS on changing the rate of LPNs who conduct home care visits at 29 different home health agencies (HHAs) in 2021 and 2022 and whether this change would affect clinical outcomes at the HHAs for the same period. 


Methods: The study used the DWCS database to compare the proportions of LPNs and registered nurses (RNs) using the technology in conducting wound care visits in the fiscal years 2021 and 2022. The study also assessed clinical outcomes, defined as the average days to heal a wound and the rate of new wounds developed with patients under management for the same period.   

Results:

For the study period, 243,745 home care wound evaluations for 20,733 patients and 46,745 wound episodes were recorded. The mean age of patients was 71.6 years, and 51.2% were females.    

The study found that the proportion of wound care evaluations conducted by LPNs increased, while the proportion of RN assessments decreased by 21.1% from 2021 to 2022 (LPN visits increased from 21.3% to 33.4%, and RN visits decreased from 78.7% to 66.6% from 2021 vs. 2022).   

Regarding the clinical outcomes, the study found that the average days to heal a wound reduced significantly by 20.3 days in 2022 compared to 2021- from 58.5 days in 2021 to 38.3 days in 2022 (P< 0.001), resulting in a 34% faster healing across the participated HHAs.    

The study also recorded a 3.9% reduction in the number of newly acquired wounds developed with patients under management in 2022 (27.6% in 2021 vs. 23.7% in 2022).  


Discussion: Integrating DWCS can promote a more balanced distribution of responsibilities between RNs and LPNs, enhancing overall efficiency while maintaining quality wound care.