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A Smartphone App for the Management of Postoperative Home Recovery After Thoracic Surgery Procedures: A Pilot Study
Pietro Bertoglio1, Elena Garelli1, Silvia Bonucchi1
1Division of Thoracic Surgery, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria di Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy.
A mobile application for thoracic surgery patients improved recovery by monitoring progress post-discharge. The Care4Today app alerted clinicians to issues, preventing re-hospitalization and enhancing patient-reported outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Medical Informatics
- Thoracic Surgery
- Digital Health
Background:
- Smartphone use is pervasive across age groups.
- Post-discharge monitoring is crucial for thoracic surgery patients.
- Existing follow-up methods may not capture real-time patient recovery data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the Care4Today mobile application on patient recovery after thoracic surgery.
- To assess the app's ability to detect complications and guide clinical intervention within 30 days of discharge.
Main Methods:
- Prospective pilot study of 96 thoracic surgery patients from March to September 2023.
- Preoperative app download and activation; daily post-discharge questionnaires on pain, breathing, wound, and quality of life.
- Real-time alerts (orange/red) to clinical staff for negative patient responses.
Main Results:
- 82% of patients used the app, with a 75.8% answer rate.
- 698 orange and 52 red alerts were generated; only one re-hospitalization related to surgery.
- Patients rated the app highly (7.4/10) for managing convalescence; age did not affect app usage.
Conclusions:
- The Care4Today app can aid in preventing unexpected re-hospitalization and complications after thoracic surgery.
- Patients found the app valuable for a safer postoperative recovery.
- The app's effectiveness in monitoring recovery is not influenced by patient age.
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