Exploring if Patients Can Safely and Easily Swab Their Own Surgical Wounds at Home

Exclusion Criteria

• •Feasibility Study
• •* Cardiac surgery patients with open wounds extending beyond skin level, or where deep tissue, organs or implants are visible, wounds with constant or heavy discharge of fluid, wounds leaking pus at the time of the video consultation.
• •* Patients having emergency or salvage surgery
• •* Patients still in hospital
• •* Patients with a dressing covering their wound at the time of the video consultation.
• •* Congenital or acquired immunodeficiency, bone marrow disease, diabetes, autoimmune conditions requiring immunosuppressive treatment, any immunosuppressive medication at the time of consent or within the last 4 weeks before consent.
• •* Undergoing active cancer treatment at time of consent/ or planning to start cancer treatment within the study period or completed cancer treatment within the last 4 weeks of the study commencing.
• •* Patients who lack capacity to consent