'Surgery selfies' post operation could cut down on doctor visits, study says

A new study is suggesting that the simple act of taking photos of post-surgical wounds on a cellphone could be a tool in helping to spot infections early and cut down on complications following surgery.
The idea is called taking a ‘surgery selfie,’ and a study from the University of Edinburgh published in the journal npc Digital Medicine on Thursday has found that they are associated with fewer visits to the doctor and improved advice from physicians for patients.
“Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, there have been big changes in how care after surgery is delivered. Patients and staff have become used to having remote consultations, and we’ve shown we can effectively and safely monitor wounds after surgery while patients recover at home,” Dr. Kenneth McLean, a clinical research fellow at the University of Edinburgh and co-lead of the study, said in a press release. “This is likely to become the new normal.”
According to the release, the third-largest cause of death globally is death that occurs within 30 days of surgery.
In the study, researchers recruited adults who had received abdominal surgery at two tertiary hospitals between July 2016 and March 2020. Out of the 429 patients, 269 were given routine postoperative care, while 223 were also given access to a “wound assessment tool” through a smartphone.
All patients then reported symptoms on days three, seven and 15 after their surgery, while the smartphone patients sent wound photographs on those days.
The key thing doctors were looking for was the time it took to diagnose a surgical site infection (SSI).
Between the control group and those taking surgery selfies, there wasn’t a significant difference in the number of people who developed an SSI, with 8.3 per cent of the entire group developing the condition.
Additionally, the group with smartphones were 3.7 times more likely to receive an SSI diagnosis within a week of their operation.
There were also significant differences in the healthcare service usage between the two groups, with patients from the smartphone group accessing much less community care. Patients using smartphone tools also reported having easier access to care in terms of wait times and accessing good advice from doctors easily.
Researchers acknowledged that while they did not receive definitive results in terms of whether this would truly improve time to diagnosis or not, the study suggests that using smartphone photos of post-surgical wounds can help with routine care for patients and reduces the burden on the healthcare system by cutting down on check-ups.
“In particular, the tool demonstrated high negative predictive discrimination, meaning SSI could be ruled-out with confidence,” the study explained.
“Our study shows the benefits of using mobile technology for follow-up after surgery,” Ewen Harrison, a professor at the University of Edinburgh and study lead, said in the release. “Using mobile phone apps around the time of surgery is becoming common - we are working to scale this within the NHS, given the benefits for patients in continuing to be directly connected with the hospital team treating them.”
COVID-19 COVERAGE
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Beyonce becomes most decorated artist in Grammys history; Harry Styles wins album of the year
Beyonce sits alone atop the Grammy throne as the ceremony's most decorated artist in history, but at the end of Sunday's show it was Harry Styles who walked away with the album of the year honour.

First tank sent by Canada for Ukrainian forces arrives in Poland
The first of the Leopard 2 tanks Canada is donating to Ukrainian forces has arrived in Poland.
Advocates come together to help sailors stuck for months on tugboats in Quebec port
Groups that advocate for seafarers are expressing concern for 11 sailors who are spending a harsh Quebec winter aboard three tugboats that have been detained for months in the port of Trois-Rivières.
At least 200 dead as powerful 7.8 earthquake hits Turkiye, Syria
A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southern Turkiye and northern Syria early Monday, toppling buildings and triggering a frantic search for survivors in the rubble in cities and towns across the area. At least 207 were killed and hundreds injured, and the toll was expected to rise.
Drake, Michael Buble, Tobias Jesso Jr. among Canadian Grammy winners
Canadian pop favourites Michael Bublé and Drake each have a shiny new Grammy on their shelves, while singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. has two, thanks in part to Harry Styles.
'Natural power': 17-year-old undefeated Quebec boxer gears up for Canada Games
She started throwing punches to get exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic, but now 17-year-old Talia Birch is gearing up to compete in the Canada Games as it opens up to female boxers for the first time
31,000 cards: Montreal woman passing along father's extensive collection of Expos baseball cards
A Montreal woman is passing along her father's extensive collection of over 31,000 Expos baseball cards. April Whitzman's father, Steve Whitzman, collected the cards from 1969 to 2016. A huge Expos fan, he's got every player covered.
Charles Kimbrough, best known for role in 'Murphy Brown,' dies at 86
Charles Kimbrough, a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor who played a straight-laced news anchor opposite Candice Bergen on “Murphy Brown,” died Jan. 11 in Culver City, California. He was 86.
New study highlights increasing prevalence of muscle dysmorphia among Canadian boys, young men
Canadian researchers are drawing attention to the increasing prevalence of 'a pathological pursuit of muscularity' among Canadian boys and young men, with a new study that found one in four were at risk of developing what's known as muscle dysmorphia.