Healing Process policy suite

Infection Prevention and Safe Image Capture Policy

1. Purpose

To ensure that the act of taking a photograph does not encourage unsafe dressing changes, contact with a wound, cross-contamination, delayed care or deviation from the person’s clinical plan.

2. Scope and status

This policy applies to patients, carers and professionals using phones, tablets, measurement aids or other capture equipment in home, community, clinic and hospital settings. Local infection-prevention and wound-care instructions take precedence.

Deployment-specific policy framework

3. Policy principles

• The photograph is secondary to safe care. A user must not disturb a wound or dressing solely to satisfy an app task unless the agreed care plan permits capture at that time.
• The camera and device should not touch the wound, dressing or contaminated surface.
• The product does not recommend cleansing products, dressings or treatment. Users follow the responsible professional’s instructions.
• Image quality prompts must not pressure a user into repeated manipulation or prolonged exposure of the wound.

4. Mandatory requirements

• Configure photograph timing to coincide with planned dressing review or change where clinically appropriate.
• Provide pathway-specific instructions on hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, device handling, surface cleaning and assistance, approved by the provider.
• Use a scale or colour reference only where the provider approves the item, placement, single-use/reprocessing and infection-control method.
• Do not direct users to apply non-sterile products or place an unapproved object adjacent to or on broken skin.
• Avoid camera flash or prolonged positioning where it causes discomfort, privacy risk or unsafe movement.
• Ensure shared clinical devices have an approved cleaning process compatible with the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Provide an immediate stop and urgent-care route if bleeding, severe pain, wound disruption or other concerning change occurs during care or capture.
• Use training images and videos that demonstrate safe distance and do not depict inappropriate bare-hand contact or unapproved wound manipulation.

5. Procedure and escalation

• At pathway setup, the clinical and infection-prevention teams approve when and how images are taken and any measurement aid used.
• The app reminder states that the user should not remove a dressing unless this is already part of the care instruction.
• A contaminated-device or unsafe-capture incident is reported, the device is removed from use if necessary and affected people receive provider-led advice.
• Changes to capture hardware, accessories or instructions undergo infection-prevention and safety review.

6. Roles and responsibilities

Provider clinical/infection-prevention team

approves local capture protocol and patient instructions.

Product team

builds non-coercive prompts and preserves the clinical boundary.

Professionals/carers/patients

follow the care plan and device-cleaning instructions.

Training/content owners

ensure demonstrations are safe and current.

Safety lead

reviews incidents and updates hazards.

7. Records, confidentiality and retention

Keep approved capture protocols, training versions, device-cleaning instructions, accessory assessments, incidents, complaints and corrective actions.

Records created under this policy must be accurate, attributable, access-controlled and linked to the applicable retention schedule. Where a provider is the controller or authoritative record holder, its documented instructions and legal duties apply.

8. Monitoring, assurance and review

Review annually and after product safety alerts, local infection-control change, capture incident or new hardware/accessory. Monitor unsafe capture reports, repeated retakes and deviations from protocol.

Material non-compliance is reported through the relevant clinical-safety, patient-safety, data, security, safeguarding, HR, contractual or whistleblowing route. Corrective actions receive an owner, target date and effectiveness check.

9. Training and communication

The policy owner identifies which roles require awareness, operational or specialist training. Training is accessible, version-controlled, role-specific and refreshed after material change or evidence that understanding is inadequate. Providers communicate local procedures and contact routes before users are granted access.

10. Related documents

• Clinical Safety Policy
• Patient Safety Incident Policy
• News and Content Governance Policy

11. Approval record