Case Study: Wound Care Visualization with GenAI

Case Study Details

Author: Lincoln Gombedza, RN (LD)
Institution Type: University nursing programme, NHS practice education
Year: 2025
Student Level: Year 2 Adult Nursing students
Topic: Wound assessment and management
Last Updated: December 2025

Context

Teaching wound care assessment and management requires students to understand complex anatomical structures, healing stages, and clinical decision-making pathways. Traditional approaches rely heavily on textbook diagrams and static images which may not adequately represent the diversity of wound presentations students will encounter in practice.

Challenge

Educational challenges:

Limited access to diverse wound care images showing various stages of healing
Static textbook diagrams don't show progression over time
Care pathways are complex and difficult to visualize as linear text
Students struggle to connect anatomical knowledge with clinical practice
Copyright restrictions limit use of real clinical photographs

Student feedback indicated:

"I can't visualize what a Stage 3 pressure ulcer actually looks like from the description"
"The care pathway in the textbook is confusing—too much text"
"I need to see the layers of the skin to understand wound depth"

Solution: Multimodal GenAI Approach

Phase 1: Anatomical Visualization

Tool used: DALL-E 3 (text-to-image GenAI)

Prompt example:

Create a detailed cross-sectional anatomical diagram showing the layers of 
human skin (epidermis, dermis, subcutaneous tissue) with a Stage 3 pressure 
ulcer. Show tissue damage extending into the dermis. Use medical illustration 
style with clear labels. Suitable for nursing education.

Output: High-quality anatomical diagrams showing:

Normal skin anatomy
Each stage of pressure ulcer (1-4 and unstageable)
Wound healing phases (inflammatory, proliferative, remodeling)

Phase 2: Care Pathway Visualization

Tool used: ChatGPT Advanced Data Analysis + Mermaid diagram generation

Process:

Input NICE pressure ulcer management guidelines
Ask GenAI to create a visual flowchart
Generate Mermaid diagram code
Render into visual care pathway

Example prompt:

Convert these NICE guidelines for pressure ulcer assessment into a visual 
flowchart using Mermaid diagram syntax. Include decision points for: 
risk assessment, wound staging, intervention selection, and reassessment 
timeframes.

Phase 3: Multimodal Learning Resource

Combined GenAI outputs into a comprehensive learning module:

Anatomical diagrams (text-to-image AI)
Care pathway flowcharts (AI-generated Mermaid diagrams)
Narrated explanations (text-to-speech AI for accessibility)
Interactive quizzes (AI-generated questions with visual elements)

Implementation

Student Activity:

Week 1: Foundation

Students review AI-generated anatomical diagrams
Compare with real clinical photographs (with consent)
Critically evaluate AI accuracy against textbooks

Week 2: Application

Students use care pathway flowcharts during simulation
Practice wound assessment using visual guides
Document findings using person-centred language

Week 3: Critical Evaluation

Students generate their own wound care visual aids using GenAI
Share and critique each other's creations
Identify limitations and biases in AI-generated images

Assessment Component:

Students create a multimodal wound care resource package including:

AI-generated visual aids (with prompt documentation)
Critical commentary on AI output accuracy
Verification against NICE guidelines and evidence-based sources
Reflection on learning through multimodal creation

Tools Used

DALL-E 3 — Anatomical diagram generation
ChatGPT Plus — Care pathway visualization and Mermaid code
NotebookLM — Synthesizing NICE guidelines into audio summaries
Canva — Assembling final learning resources
H5P — Creating interactive wound staging quizzes

Outcomes

Quantitative Results:

95% of students reported improved understanding of wound anatomy
Formative assessment scores increased by average of 18%
Student engagement metrics showed 40% more time spent with learning materials
Accessibility: Audio narrations benefited 12% of students with dyslexia

Qualitative Feedback:

"The AI-generated diagrams helped me finally understand the difference between partial and full thickness wounds. I could see the layers!" — Year 2 student

"Creating my own visual guide using AI made me think really carefully about accuracy. I had to fact-check everything against NICE." — Year 2 student

"The care pathway flowchart is so much clearer than reading paragraphs of text. I can follow the decision points now." — Practice educator

Skills Developed:

✅ Anatomical knowledge of skin and wound structures
✅ Critical evaluation of AI-generated content
✅ Prompt engineering for clinical education
✅ Evidence-based practice (verifying AI outputs)
✅ Multimodal resource creation

Key Learnings

What Worked Well:

AI democratized visual creation — Students without graphic design skills could create professional diagrams
Multiple iterations were valuable — Refining prompts taught precision and clinical accuracy
Combined with real images — AI diagrams complemented (not replaced) genuine clinical photos
Critical evaluation was essential — Students caught anatomical errors in AI outputs

Challenges Encountered:

Anatomical inaccuracies — Some AI-generated diagrams had incorrect anatomical proportions
- Solution: Created checklist for verifying anatomy against textbooks
Copyright confusion — Students unsure about AI-generated image ownership
- Solution: Teaching session on creative commons and AI-generated content
Over-reliance risk — Some students wanted to skip traditional learning
- Solution: Positioned AI as supplement, not replacement for core texts

Tips for Other Educators:

✅ Start with simple diagrams — Build confidence before complex visualizations
✅ Teach prompt engineering — Good prompts = better outputs
✅ Always verify against authoritative sources — NICE, BNF, anatomy textbooks
✅ Use AI to supplement, not substitute — Real clinical experience is irreplaceable
✅ Document your prompts - Helps with reproducibility and learning

NMC Alignment

This case study supports the following NMC Standards of Proficiency for Registered Nurses:

Platform 1: Being an accountable professional

1.9 Demonstrate the skills and abilities required to develop, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with people, their families, carers and colleagues
1.18 Demonstrate the knowledge and skills required to support people at all stages of life

Platform 2: Promoting health and preventing ill health

2.2 Protect health through understanding and applying the principles of infection prevention and control including communicable disease surveillance

Platform 3: Assessing needs and planning care

3.5 Demonstrate the ability to accurately process all information gathered during the assessment process

Platform 4: Providing and evaluating care

4.2 Work in partnership with people to encourage shared decision making
4.14 Understand and apply the principles of safe and effective administration and optimization of medicines

Annexe B: Nursing procedures

B.11 Observing and assessing the need for intervention for people with wounds

Resources

GenAI Tools:

DALL-E 3 — Image generation
ChatGPT Plus — Mermaid diagrams and text generation

Clinical Guidelines:

Educational Tools:

H5P — Interactive content creation
Mermaid Live Editor — Diagram creation

Adaptation Ideas

This approach can be adapted for other clinical topics:

Medication pharmacokinetics — Visualize drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion
Cardiovascular anatomy — Create heart diagrams showing blood flow pathways
Respiratory assessment — Visualize breath sounds and chest examination findings
Care pathways — Any clinical guideline can be converted to flowcharts

Context​

Challenge​

Solution: Multimodal GenAI Approach​

Phase 1: Anatomical Visualization​

Phase 2: Care Pathway Visualization​

Phase 3: Multimodal Learning Resource​

Implementation​

Student Activity:​

Assessment Component:​

Tools Used​

Outcomes​

Quantitative Results:​

Qualitative Feedback:​

Skills Developed:​

Key Learnings​

What Worked Well:​

Challenges Encountered:​

Tips for Other Educators:​

NMC Alignment​

Platform 1: Being an accountable professional​

Platform 2: Promoting health and preventing ill health​

Platform 3: Assessing needs and planning care​

Platform 4: Providing and evaluating care​

Annexe B: Nursing procedures​

Resources​

GenAI Tools:​

Clinical Guidelines:​

Educational Tools:​

Adaptation Ideas​

Further Reading​

Share Your Experience​