Chronic wounds which do not heal as expected, are common in residential aged care homes (RACHs). While specialised wound care is essential for improving outcomes, access is challenging in RACHs. Emerging virtual interventions are known to improve access to wound care, but little is known about use in this setting. This scoping review identifies and maps virtual wound care use in RACHs.
Methods
An electronic search of Medline, CINAHL, Embase, AgeLine, IEEE Xplore, ACM digital library and clinical trial registries was conducted from database inception to March 2026. Studies were screened and data extracted by two independent reviewers using a reviewer-developed tool.
Results
Of the 17 included studies, a combined model of telehealth and store and forward was most frequently used (n = 9). Virtual wound care was used for both diagnosis and management (n = 15) and commonly delivered by teams of clinicians (n = 8). Included studies demonstrated wound care could be delivered safely and facilitated clinical decision-making. Acceptability of virtual wound care by residents, families, staff and other care providers was high. Reliable internet, stable workforce and adjunct in-person care were enablers to virtual interventions. Lack of training participation, workforce shortages and technology limitations were perceived barriers to virtual wound care.
Conclusions
Current evidence indicates that virtual wound care is being used in RACHs though it remains under investigated. Addressing workforce, training, and technology barriers can support broader implementation of virtual wound care and improve chronic wound outcomes for aged care residents.
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