A Mobile Health Application to Track Patients After Gastrointestinal Surgery: Results from a Pilot Study

Introduction Many surgical readmissions are preventable. Mobile health technology can identify nascent complications and potentially prevent readmission. Methods We performed a pilot study of a new mobile health application in adults undergoing major abdominal surgery. Patients reported their pain,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of gastrointestinal surgery 2017-09, Vol.21 (9), p.1500-1505
Main Authors: Symer, Matthew M., Abelson, Jonathan S., Milsom, Jeffrey, McClure, Bridget, Yeo, Heather L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abdominal surgery
Adult
Aged
Digestive System Surgical Procedures - adverse effects
Female
Gastroenterology
Gastrointestinal surgery
Humans
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Mobile Applications
Original Article
Patient Compliance
Patient Readmission
Patients
Pilot Projects
Postoperative Complications - diagnosis
Surgery
Surveys and Questionnaires
Telemedicine
Telemedicine - instrumentation
Telemedicine - methods
Young Adult
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Summary:Introduction Many surgical readmissions are preventable. Mobile health technology can identify nascent complications and potentially prevent readmission. Methods We performed a pilot study of a new mobile health application in adults undergoing major abdominal surgery. Patients reported their pain, answered surveys, photographed their wound, were reminded to stay hydrated, and used a Fitbit™ device. Abnormal responses triggered alerts for further evaluation. Patients were followed postoperatively for 30 days and compliance with app use was tracked. Results Thirty-one patients participated. Most were female (58%) and white (61%). Six (19%) had an ostomy as part of their surgery. 83.9% of patients completed an app-related task at least 70% of the time and 89% said using the app was easy to use. Patients generated an average of 1.1 alerts. One patient was readmitted and generated seven alerts prior to readmission. Patients participated most in collecting Fitbit data (84.8% of days) and completing a single-item photoaffective meter, but had more difficulty uploading photographs (51.4% completed). Eighty-nine percent of patients found the application easy to use. Conclusions A novel mobile health app can track patient recovery from major abdominal surgery, is easy to use, and has potential to improve outcomes. Further studies using the app are planned.
ISSN:1091-255X
1873-4626
DOI:10.1007/s11605-017-3482-2