Dr. Desmond Bell's thesis in the Below The Knee Signal Interview Series is simple: wound care has been optimized for managing wounds when the goal should be healing them. That is a big-picture argument, but it lands at the bedside. The phone or tablet in a clinician's hand is where a wound either gets documented as a routine visit or captured as data that can change the plan.
This article looks at what that framing means for anyone choosing a wound care app for point of care work.
Why "managing" shows up in documentation
Bell describes a specialty where activity can outrun outcomes. He ties the evidence gap to four causes: no formal training, uneven study quality, sponsor bias, and economics driving utilization. His fix is to incentivize innovation and outcomes rather than simply performing procedures.
In a clinic, the same drift can happen in charting. A note that records that a dressing was changed shows a procedure. A note that records measurements, images, and change over time shows whether the wound is healing.
Every wound is a fingerprint
Bell says each wound is as unique as a fingerprint, with its own pathology and physiology, even on the same patient. For mobile documentation, that has practical consequences:
- Capture each wound separately. Two wounds on one patient need their own images and measurements.
- Keep the history together. Healing is a trend, so a single visit tells you little.
- Record the same way every time. Consistent photo capture makes comparison between visits meaningful.
What Bell says AI can add
Bell names differential diagnosis support, smarter diagnostics, guided product selection, and predictive tools that expedite trial results. He argues faster adoption means better outcomes, greater efficiency, and significant cost savings. His on-the-record prediction is that within two years, AI adoption will make today's approach look archaic.
For a bedside clinician, the near-term pieces are the ones that reduce friction:
| Bedside task | Where AI fits |
|---|---|
| Imaging and measuring | AI-powered wound imaging from a point-and-capture workflow |
| Writing the note | Ambient scribing and charting support |
| Tracking progress | Healing analytics across visits |
| Engaging the patient | Education and follow-through after the visit |
Questions to ask of any wound care charting app
Bell's critique suggests a checklist that goes beyond features:
- Does it make measurements and images part of the record, not an attachment?
- Does it show healing progress, not just visit counts?
- Does it work on a phone or tablet where care actually happens?
- Does charting and coding stay in one flow, so documentation does not become a second job?
These map to the platform Bell leads. The capabilities he describes, AI imaging, ambient scribing, charting and coding, healing analytics, and patient engagement, are what the main website lays out in full for clinical teams.
Read the source
Bell's full argument, including his view of the cellular tissue product market as a correction rather than a crisis, is summarized in Managing Wounds vs. Healing Them. The complete interview was published June 30, 2026 by Below the Knee, a wound care intelligence platform covering limb salvage and foot and ankle.
The takeaway
Bell says the field does not need more collagens, alginates, or CTPs; it needs new concepts. For the clinician with a phone at the bedside, a healing-first approach starts with better data on every wound, captured the same way, every visit.