Evaluation of wound photography for remote postoperative assessment of surgical site infections.

Kummerow Broman K, Gaskill CE, Faqih A, et al. JAMA Surg. 2018 Oct 24; [Epub ahead of print].

This prospective study examined the impact of wound photography on surgeons' remote diagnosis and suggestions for management of surgical site infections (SSIs). When wound photographs were provided along with clinical scenarios, researchers found no change in diagnostic accuracy, a decrease in sensitivity, and an increase in specificity. The inclusion of images led to changes in surgeons' assessments in 27% of cases, both from correct to incorrect and incorrect to correct in almost equal numbers. Surgeons did report improved confidence in diagnosis of SSIs when photographs were included, whether or not their assessment was correct.

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