From patient to partner: Crowdsourcing and digital innovations reshaping scar research and scar care management.

Abstract

Traditional scar research has historically prioritized clinician-driven outcomes, often neglecting patient-identified needs and real-world experiences. This narrative review synthesizes developments in patient-powered innovation across scar research, drawing from the last decade of literature on patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), real-world data, digital health tools, and participatory models. Increased adoption of PROMs (e.g., Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale 3.0 and SCAR-Q), crowdsourced initiatives, and digital tools (e.g., ScarPath, smartphone apps, and AI-based assessments) are transforming scar research and management by centering patient priorities. Patient-powered approaches-through digital tools, crowdsourcing, and participatory research-are reshaping scar care by promoting real-world engagement and more meaningful, personalized outcomes.