Surgery remember@: an innovation to reduce surgical cancellations

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Surgical Management
• Mobile Health (mHealth)

Background:

• Patient absenteeism is a significant cause of surgical cancellations, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs.
• Mobile phone use has surged globally, presenting opportunities for enhanced patient communication and self-management.
• Effective communication is crucial for improving patient compliance with medical procedures and reducing appointment no-shows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a technological solution, Surgery Remember@, aimed at mitigating surgical suspensions due to patient absenteeism.
• To create a communication tool that enhances patient adherence to surgical schedules and supports shared responsibility in healthcare.
• To improve hospital operational efficiency and reduce financial losses associated with surgical cancellations.

Main Methods:

• The study involved a technological production process encompassing a literature review and analysis of hospital administrative data.
• Software development of the Surgery Remember@ tool was undertaken.
• Process mapping was conducted for the seamless implementation of the software within the hospital setting.

Main Results:

• Patient absenteeism was identified as the primary driver of surgical cancellations over the past three years.
• The Surgery Remember@ tool is designed to send timely reminders to patients, enabling prompt rescheduling and optimizing resource allocation.
• Confirmation of pre-anesthetic consultations through the software aids in verifying improvements in perioperative care.

Conclusions:

• Surgery Remember@ is a viable and easily implementable software solution for reducing surgery cancellations.
• The tool enhances efficiency and cost-effectiveness in surgical settings by addressing patient absenteeism.
• The software's modular design allows for future feature additions based on user needs, further supporting surgical scheduling optimization.