Modified TIME-H: a simplified scoring system for chronic wound management.
OBJECTIVE
Chronic wound assessment requires a systematic approach in order to guide management and improve prognostication. Following a pilot study using the original TIME-H scoring system in chronic wound management, modifications were suggested leading to the development of the Modified TIME-H scoring system. This study investigates the feasibility and reliability of chronic wound prognostication applying the Modified TIME-H score.


METHODS
Patients referred to the hospital's outpatient wound clinic over a 9-month period were categorised into one of three predicted outcome categories based on their Modified TIME-H score.


RESULTS
This study shows a higher proportion of patients in the certain healing category achieved healed wounds, with a higher rate of reduction in wound size, when compared with the other categories. The three categories defined in this study are certain healing, uncertain healing and difficult healing.


CONCLUSIONS
The Modified TIME-H score could be a useful tool for assessment, patient-centred management and prognostication of chronic wounds in clinical practice and requires further validation from other institutions.


BACKGROUND
The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.
Launceston General Hospital, Tasmania, Australia.
K
K
Lim
Clinic, Outpatient Wound Clinic, Royal Hobart Hospital, Australia.
B
B
Free
Clinic, Outpatient Wound Clinic, Royal Hobart Hospital, Australia.|University of Tasmania, Australia.|University of Notre Dame Australia School of Medicine Sydney.
S
S
Sinha
D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000451:nursing*
TIME-H; chronic wounds; wound bed preparation; wound healing