Bridging the Gap: Solving Rural Wound Care Challenges with AI-Powered Technology

By Kimberly Smith, RN, COWN, FACCWS, Net Health Senior Clinical Solutions Executive

If you’ve ever lived in or visited a rural area, you know how incredibly resilient and tight-knit those communities are. But when it comes to healthcare, particularly wound care, rural hospitals and clinics often face an uphill battle. While wounds may not grab headlines like heart attacks or strokes, they can be just as dangerous, especially when left untreated or improperly managed. For rural patients dealing with chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, surgical incisions, or pressure injuries, the stakes are high. Healing can mean the difference between independence and long-term disability or even limb loss.

Unfortunately, rural facilities are working against a host of complex issues, including workforce shortages, financial pressures, long travel distances, and regulatory constraints. But there’s a bright spot on the horizon known as artificial intelligence (AI). Specifically, AI-powered wound care platforms are stepping in as powerful tools to support clinicians, streamline workflows, and ultimately improve patient outcomes in rural settings.

First, I want to look at why rural wound care is uniquely challenging. One of the biggest hurdles is the 96-hour rule, a regulation that limits inpatient stays in Critical Access Hospitals to just four days (or 96 hours). Many wounds, especially in elderly or chronically ill patients, need extensive time and specialized care. This time restraint directly impacts the healing timeline and continuity of care. Patients may be discharged too early or bounced between providers, making it harder to track progress or respond to complications.

Then there’s the issue of health disparities. Rural areas tend to have higher rates of diabetes, obesity, and chronic illness, which are all risk factors for complex wounds. Getting to care is another problem. Patients often travel long distances for specialized treatment, which isn’t always possible, especially for those with limited transportation options or mobility issues. Specialty wound clinics are usually very far away, and home health agencies in rural regions are often understaffed or overbooked.

Preventative care is another missing link in wound treatment that can lengthen the amount of time needed to heal. Without routine screenings or early intervention, wounds may not even be noticed until they’re infected or worsening. It’s not uncommon for patients to show up at an appointment with wounds that are already in critical condition. That delay puts added stress on rural nurses and clinicians, who are juggling multiple roles and departments due to workforce shortages. Burnout is high, turnover is frequent, and consistency in care becomes harder to maintain.

Another compounding factor in effective wound treatment in rural areas is the gap in wound care education and certification. Not every nurse or provider is trained in wound management, and more than that, rural hospitals often lack certified wound care nurses. Many new grads or traveling nurses may be excellent clinicians, but without wound-specific experience, they’re at a disadvantage when facing complex cases. On top of that, there’s a growing concern about litigation and compliance risks. Hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs), poor documentation, and missed steps in the plan of care can not only affect patient safety, but also lead to legal consequences and denied reimbursements.

Despite these challenges, rural healthcare facilities aren’t standing still. Many are embracing creative strategies to deliver better wound care. Some partner with urban wound centers to offer virtual consultations. Others are sponsoring nurses to pursue wound care certification through remote learning programs. We’re also seeing the rise of mobile wound care teams, automated screening tools for high-risk populations, and partnerships with home health and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to enhance continuity of care. With additional support from programs like the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund telehealth infrastructure, these innovations are reshaping how rural wound care is delivered.

And this is where AI-powered wound care platforms truly shine. These tools don’t replace clinicians, they support them. Instead of relying on subjective visual assessments, which can vary from one clinician to another, many AI tools use smart imaging and standardized measurements to create objective documentation. This consistency is a game changer, especially for clinicians who have a high workload and are not experts in wound treatment. It not only helps track healing over time, but also protects against disputes and reimbursement issues by providing timestamped, defensible records.

Another major benefit of AI assistance in wound assessment and treatment is workflow efficiency. Automated photo capture, wound size calculation, and seamless integration with electronic health records (EHRs) save valuable time. Staff can document faster, share updates across departments, and shift their energy back to what really matters: patient care. These platforms also support asynchronous wound evaluations, meaning clinicians in different locations can weigh in on a case without being there in person. That’s a huge advantage in areas where transportation and distance are barriers to care.

AI is also making strides in preventing readmissions. By assessing signs of wound deterioration early, clinicians can intervene before things escalate. Built-in tracking tools prompt proactive care plans in both acute and post-acute settings. And in a healthcare environment where every readmission counts against both cost and outcomes, that’s a critical capability.

Lastly, AI strengthens a facility’s compliance and legal defense. With clear documentation of wound progression and treatment decisions, hospitals are better protected in the event of audits or legal challenges. And that peace of mind means staff can focus more on delivering quality care and less on covering their bases.

The truth is our rural hospitals are incredibly innovative and resourceful. But they just can’t do it all alone. AI-powered wound platforms are becoming essential tools that genuinely support our often-overstretched staff and help deliver vital, high-quality care to some of our most vulnerable patients. It’s genuinely exciting to think about how technology can help bridge the gap in healthcare access and fairness, fundamentally transforming what’s possible for our rural communities.

By embracing these smart advancements, rural hospital leaders and nurse managers can truly empower their teams to ensure consistent, evidence-based wound care with the help of the right tools. Ultimately, that leads to better outcomes, lighter burdens, and healthier, more resilient communities. It’s about empowering rural healthcare, one wound at a time, to truly thrive in the face of unique challenges.