Using Infrared Technology to Assist in Wound Evaluation and Management

I am an independent wound/ostomy/continence nurse in the longterm care field  In longterm care it appears that there can be a delay in patient follow up for testing and specialist appointments due to several factors such as transportation, office schedules, insurance problems and patient preference. Our wound care team strives to provide wound and skin assessments and recommendations that will speed up the process of treatment and healing in any way possible from recommendations for vascular follow up, to nutritional needs, pressure redistribution needs, additional medical equipment, topical treatment, and then of course follow up with the family and the physician on the goals of care.  I purchased an Infrared camera, as my portable camera that I take with me on wound rounds. I use the device as an adjunt to my assessment skills to evaluate skin temperature looking for limb symmetry, temperature of the wound itself, discrepancies in what the eye can see outwardly and what the infrared camera can tell us from the temperature of the skin and the surrounding areas. I have used my results to either confirm or negate what we may have initially concluded on the evaluation. I have used the results to speak with physicians to provide a better assessment and help with decisions for vascular testing and the speed at which they were ordered and carried out. The information has also been used for education with families to help them understand how a wound may deteriorate without circulation and to help them make informed decisions on whether the care is to be aggressive or supportive/palliative. The infrared camera has become a standard tool in my practice as it has helped me to see at least by temperature what is going on in the skin that I could not tell by my sight alone.