Personalized Mobile App-Based Program for Preparation and Recovery After Radical Prostatectomy: Initial Evidence for...

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Digital Health
• Surgical Outcomes

Background:

• eHealth solutions can overcome limitations of traditional surgical prehabilitation programs.
• Digital tools offer a scalable approach to patient care, addressing resource and cost constraints.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a personalized mobile app for perioperative care.
• Assessed the app's effectiveness in improving recovery after radical prostatectomy (RP).

Main Methods:

• A cohort study compared 122 robot-assisted RP patients before and after implementing the betty.care mobile app.
• Primary endpoint: urinary continence at 6 weeks. Secondary endpoints included length of stay, complications, and readmissions.

Main Results:

• The mobile app group showed significantly improved 6-week continence rates (92% vs. 75%, P=.01).
• Fewer complications (3.2% vs. 13%, P=.042) and a trend towards shorter hospital stays were observed.
• The app facilitated same-day discharge in 53% of cases.

Conclusions:

• A holistic mobile app integrating prehabilitation, rehabilitation, and remote monitoring can enhance functional outcomes post-RP.
• Digital health interventions show promise in replicating and potentially improving upon traditional prehabilitation programs.
• Multicenter validation is recommended to confirm these findings.