Bridging Distances: A Retrospective Study of Virtual Wound Care to Reduce Travel Burden in Rural Healthcare.
Catherine Leahy, Michelle Barakat-Johnson, Linda Deravin and 2 others
PMID 41126697WHAT IT FOUND
Patients using a nurse-led virtual wound service in rural New South Wales had estimated average round-trip savings of 65 minutes and AU$59.67 for those 0 to 50 km from a specialist, and 444 minutes and AU$507.49 for those over 201 km.
Key findings
01384 patients received 1600 virtual wound care encounters; they averaged 2.6 consultations and a 3.7-day wait from referral to appointment.
02Estimated round-trip savings for virtual wound care patients were 65 minutes and AU$59.67 for those 0 to 50 km from a specialist centre.
03For virtual wound care patients more than 201 km from a specialist centre, estimated round-trip savings were 444 minutes and AU$507.49.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study was retrospective and relied on existing hospital records, so missing or inconsistent data may limit reliability. Travel time and cost were estimated from postcode distance and general guidelines, not from each patient's actual trip, and lost wages or accommodation were excluded. The standard care group was counted as hospital admissions, while the virtual group was counted as patients with encounters, and travel analyses were done only for virtual service patients. The study excluded wound types, healing progress and emergency department visits, so it cannot show whether wounds healed better.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the travel savings as proof that virtual wound care improves wound healing. The study estimated time and cost savings for patients using the service, but it did not measure wound healing or other clinical outcomes.