Measurement of the area of venous ulcers using two software programs.
Thaís Dresch Eberhardt, Suzinara Beatriz Soares de Lima, Luis Felipe Dias Lopes and 3 others
PMID 27992028WHAT IT FOUND
Two software programs measured venous ulcer areas with no difference and excellent agreement, so either can support nursing wound assessment.
Key findings
01In 21 patients with 36 venous ulcers, area measurements by AutoCAD and Image Tool did not differ significantly (p = 0.80).
02The two programs showed excellent agreement, with ICC 0.98 and CCC 0.95.
03For ulcers >10 cm², Bland-Altman limits were 1.26 cm² and 0.74 cm², with one measurement outside; for ulcers ≤10 cm², limits were 1.8 cm² and 0.02 cm², with several measurements outside.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Only 21 patients and 36 venous ulcers from one clinic were studied, and the sampling was non-probabilistic. The study included venous ulcers only, so it does not show how the programs perform for other wound types. The evaluators were nurses trained for the study, so results may not apply to staff without that training. For ulcers ≤10 cm², several measurements were outside the agreement limits, so precision is less certain for small wounds. The authors also note limited prior work on this topic and gaps in basic wound evaluation concepts, such as defining the wound surface and edges.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that either program improves venous ulcer healing. The study compared area measurements from photographs, not patient outcomes, and agreement was less certain for small ulcers.