Development of an Automated Technology Platform for Preoperative Triage and Patient Preparation

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Digital Health
• Patient Services

Background:

• Preoperative care processes can be resource-intensive.
• Streamlining patient assessment and preparation is crucial for surgical efficiency.
• Automated solutions offer potential to optimize patient management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a proof-of-concept automated service for preoperative triage and patient preparation.
• To assess the feasibility of using patient self-reported data for triage.
• To measure patient engagement with and satisfaction regarding automated preoperative instructions.

Main Methods:

• A two-component automated service was developed: triage (visit vs. phone screen) and instruction delivery.
• 2604 patients were enrolled in the proof-of-concept study.
• Data collected included questionnaire completion rates, triage outcomes, instruction viewing rates, and patient satisfaction.

Main Results:

• 75.7% of patients completed the preoperative triage questionnaire.
• 47.6% of patients were directed to preoperative phone screens.
• 90.8% of patients accessed surgery preparation instructions, with an average satisfaction score of 9.3/10.

Conclusions:

• An automated preoperative triage and preparation service is feasible.
• Patient self-reported information effectively facilitates preoperative triage.
• Automated instruction delivery enhances patient preparation and satisfaction.