Developing and validating high-value patient digital follow-up services: a pilot study in cardiac surgery

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Healthcare Innovation
• Patient Monitoring

Background:

• Current digital healthcare solutions require a needs-based development approach for high-value services.
• The study aimed to digitally transform post-cardiac surgery patient follow-up services.
• A remote patient monitoring (RPM) service was developed to address real-world challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a digital transformation of patient follow-up services after cardiac surgery.
• To create a remote patient monitoring service addressing contextual challenges.
• To design and validate a high-value digital healthcare service.

Main Methods:

• Design Science Research methodology and Lean startup principles were employed.
• A minimal viable product (MVP) was designed using available resources.
• A pilot study with 29 patients involved 4 iterative develop-test-learn cycles with multidisciplinary engagement.

Main Results:

• Patients used Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices and a mobile app for daily outcome reporting for 30 days post-surgery.
• The service demonstrated high user satisfaction and adherence.
• The RPM service led to fewer readmissions and an average of 7 clinical actions per patient, mainly for blood pressure or wound issues.

Conclusions:

• A 6-step methodology for designing and validating high-value digital healthcare services is proposed.
• The methodology emphasizes collaborative learning, real-time development, and iterative testing.
• The study highlights the effectiveness of RPM in improving post-cardiac surgery care.