The impact of smartphone-based wound follow-up on surgical site infection detection: A quasi-experimental study

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common postoperative complications that are frequently missed or diagnosed late due to limited follow-up. This study evaluated a smartphone-based wound follow-up system for detecting SSIs after discharge. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study selected 90 patients aged 18-70 years undergoing general surgery at Taleghani hospital. The intervention group (n=30) submitted postoperative wound photos via smartphone for immediate feedback; the control group (n=60) received routine telephone follow-up at one month. Data were analyzed in SPSS using independent t-tests and logistic regression to compare SSI detection between groups. RESULTS: The mean age was 41.6 ± 13.0 years, with no significant difference between groups. SSIs were detected in 5 patients in the smartphone group and 2 in the control group (P = 0.043). Both groups had primarily moderate infections, with one high-risk infection observed in the smartphone group only. The smartphone intervention was associated with significantly higher odds of SSI detection (odds ratio OR = 5.8; 95% CI, 1.05-31.92). CONCLUSIONS: Smartphone-based wound follow-up detected higher SSI rates and may enable earlier diagnosis. However, given the quasi-experimental design and small sample size, larger randomized multicenter studies are needed to confirm effectiveness and to evaluate longer-term patient outcomes.