Ahead of his talk at this year’s SAWC virtual, Dr. Kyle Wu answers important questions around the technology advances in the healthcare industry and, more specifically, wound care. Be sure to tune into his session during the conference where he will provide his expert opinion on the latest advances in wound imaging. The session is titled “Every Picture Tells a Story: Wound Photography & Imaging” and will take place Thursday May 13th, 2021 from 2:45 – 3:45 pm. More details can be found at https://www.sawcspring.com/
What are some of the new trends that will drive changes in healthcare?
“We are moving towards a patient-centric model of care. Much of the change is driven by rapid digital
transformation that has occurred in other sectors. We are at a turning point in history where patients
have a high level of digital literacy. Ownership of smartphone and tablets among older patients
continues to grow. Digital health apps and services are becoming a go-to for patients. With this shift in
care, it has become a necessity for providers to embrace digital health. We are going to continue to see
an increased adoption of digital health, telemedicine and implementation of artificial intelligence (AI),
blockchain, and internet of things (IOT).”
What are some of the challenges and limitations you foresee in adoption of digital health?
“Healthcare in general is changing drastically following the onset of the pandemic. We witnessed an
increase in adoption of digital and mobile health technologies. The momentum is being fueled by the
urgency to grapple with unprecedented challenges that overwhelmed our healthcare system, increased
consumer interest in technology, and the growing movement towards patient-centered care.
Regulatory, policy makers and payers also need to adapt to keep pace with the changes. While policy
and regulatory flexibility have been extended during the pandemic, policies on digital health services are
narrowly constructed and impose limitations on services and vary from state to state. Policies will need
to address evolving concerns on reimbursement and payment models.”
How are breakthroughs in artificial intelligence and digital health poised to reshape wound care?
“As a physician and tech entrepreneur, I find this to be an incredibly exciting time for health care. Digital
transformation is altering every aspect of the industry, reshaping diagnosis, treatment, and
management of chronic conditions. We are now able to visually assess bacteria in a wound bed,
evaluate tissue oxygenation, digitally measure, and track healing progression for complex chronic
wounds. We are beginning to realize the promise of AI to enhance care delivery and improve patient
outcomes. For instance, beyond AI generated tracing, classification of wound or characterization of
tissue type, deep learning can help identify patients at-risk for infection or sepsis, provide clinical
decision-support, improve treatment compliance, and lower costs.“
What are some of the new advances and developments in wound imaging and assessment?
“The adage that “a picture is worth a thousand words,” holds true. AI and computer vision technology is
enabling us to go beyond digital photography. We can now obtain valuable quantitative and qualitative
information about the characteristics of the wound, assess risk for infection, and even predict healing.
Gauss® is eKare’s one of a kind platform that allows providers to tap into curated wound datasets,
search our wound library, build, and test models to drive new insights for informed clinical decision
support and treatment planning. We are putting the power of AI in the hands of providers. We have
also enhanced our 3D offering to enable providers to capture full 360 body scan for complex
circumferential wounds and burns. Additionally, advances in multispectral and hyperspectral imaging
are paving the way for diagnostic assessment of microcirculation in wounds. Expect to hear more on
that during the upcoming SAWC panel discussion.”
About Dr. Kyle Wu
Dr. Kyle Wu is a co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of eKare Inc. Dr. Wu received surgical training at the Georgetown University Hospital. He later joined the prestigious Innovation Fellowship at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington DC where he spearheaded the project that ultimately paved way to the founding of eKare. Dr. Wu received MD/MBA degrees from Columbia University and BS in Biomedical Engineering from Johns Hopkins University. He has numerous peer‐reviewed publications in the fields of optics, imaging, and robotic surgery.
