Digital wound management: The growing demand for accessible care

As chronic wounds become more prevalent in Canada, driven by an aging population, rising diabetes rates, and vascular conditions, the pressure on healthcare systems to deliver effective, timely wound care is mounting.

Traditional care models, especially in rural home care and long-term care settings, often struggle to meet this demand due to limited access to specialized clinicians.

In this context, digital wound management is emerging as a scalable, efficient, and patient-centered solution. These platforms enable earlier intervention, streamline workflows, and ensure consistent, evidence-based care, regardless of geographic location.

Interior Health Authority (IHA) in British Columbia has used Pixalere’s Digital Wound Management Software for nearly 20 years. Initially adopted for home care, the platform is now integrated across acute care, urgent primary care, long-term care, and outreach programs.

In 2022, IHA centralized its NSWOC (Nurses Specialized in Wound, Ostomy, and Continence) services to improve equity, efficiency, and responsiveness. This centralized model proved essential during a 10-month NSWOC vacancy in 2024 in the East Kootenay region, where the nearest specialist was three hours away.

Despite the vacancy, IHA sustained, and often exceeded its standards of care, thanks to remote coordination and real-time access to wound data and images via Pixalere.

Key outcomes included:

• 211 referrals managed monthly, on average
• Median wound healing time improved
• All urgent and routine referrals met or exceeded standard response times

Beyond clinical results, the centralized approach improved workforce stability. NSWOCs reported reduced stress due to more efficient scheduling and coverage support, contributing to improved job satisfaction and retention.

“Pixalere’s Digital Wound Management Software has been instrumental in Interior Health Authority’s clinical operations decision making and will be leveraged especially when it comes to future workforce management and business continuity planning,” said Mary Ann MacLean, clinical nurse specialist – skin and wound.

Pixalere is driving improvements in other large Canadian health authorities. Within just three months of implementation, one organization’s clinical leadership leveraged Pixalere’s data analytics to improve adherence to best practices and optimize care delivery. Results included:

• Elimination of unnecessary daily visits for 30-40 percent of wound care clients
• Cost reduction in key cases (i.e., from $36,500 to less than $5,000 annually)
• Significant reduction in overtime and weekend care
• Improved healing rates and decreased antimicrobial usage

The Pixalere Digital Wound Management Solution is a powerful and intuitive platform designed to streamline wound care delivery while supporting nurses and clinicians in delivering high-quality care. By facilitating remote collaboration between frontline nurses and NSWOCs, Pixalere bridges care gaps and supports standardized, data-driven practices.

Key capabilities include:

• Automated wound measurements for objective, consistent tracking – Mobile-enabled, secure image capture for real-time documentation
• Predictive insights and decision-support tools that guide treatment
• Seamless integration with Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Electronic Medical Records, (EMRs) and Personal Health Records (PHRs) to reduce duplication and improve communication

These features not only enhance care quality but also reduce administrative burden and enable timely interventions. Studies show that early identification and digital monitoring can prevent complications and save up to $3,500 per avoided hospitalization [AAFP, 2020; Hwang, 2023].

For more information, visit Pixalere.com