Collaborative Pressure Ulcer Prevention: An Automated Skin Damage and Pressure Ulcer Assessment Tool for Nursing Professionals, Patients, Family Members and Carers

Abstract: This paper describes the Pressure Ulcers Online Website, which is a first step solution towards a new and innovative platform for helping people to detect, understand and manage pressure ulcers. It outlines the reasons why the project has been developed and provides a central point of contact for pressure ulcer analysis and ongoing research. Using state-of-the-art technologies in convolutional neural networks and transfer learning along with end-to-end web technologies, this platform allows pressure ulcers to be analysed and findings to be reported. As the system evolves through collaborative partnerships, future versions will provide decision support functions to describe the complex characteristics of pressure ulcers along with information on wound care across multiple user boundaries. This project is therefore intended to raise awareness and support for people suffering with or providing care for pressure ulcers.