Development of Telenursing Guidelines to Improve the Quality of Services in Diabetic Wound Care in a Hospital in Thailand: Case Study.
Chonlada Darayon, Paralee Opasanant, Siriporn Sangsrijan and 2 others
PMID 41662572WHAT IT FOUND
In 20 patients with diabetic wounds, telenursing follow-up was paired with wound care and assessments, and wound severity scores fell significantly over 8 weeks.
No amputations were reported, but there was no control group, so this cannot prove telenursing alone healed wounds.
Key findings
01Wound severity scores decreased significantly at weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8 after telenursing care and weekly wound assessments (P<.001).
02No foot or leg amputation was reported among the patients.
03The paper reports that the telenursing care group had an average wound healing time of 8.6 weeks and an average cost of 11,772 Baht (US $336.34) per person.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The wound-healing evaluation used only 20 patients in one group, with no control group or randomisation. The authors state the small sample limits generalising the findings to a broader population. Patients received telenursing care alongside regular wound assessments and described wound care and self-care components, so the study cannot separate which part improved healing. The cost and healing-time figures are descriptive and not compared with a controlled standard-care group.
Declared interests
Mae Chan Hospital provided financial support; the authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that telenursing alone caused faster wound healing. The study had one group, no control, and patients also received wound assessments and wound care guidance, so improvement cannot be separated from usual care or other supports.