A Patient-Oriented Implementation Strategy for a Perioperative mHealth Intervention: Feasibility Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Digital health interventions
• Healthcare management
• Patient recovery tools

Background:

• Day surgery is increasing in Europe due to capacity issues.
• Home recovery requires tailored tools for effective convalescence.
• The ikHerstel mHealth app supports home recovery but relies on hospital-based health care professionals for implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of a patient-oriented implementation strategy for ikHerstel.
• To empower patients for independent use of ikHerstel, bypassing the traditional gatekeeper role of health care professionals.
• To answer: How well are patients able to use ikHerstel independently of their health care professional?

Main Methods:

• A feasibility study investigated recruitment, reach, dose delivered/received, and fidelity of the new strategy.
• Patients with elective surgery were recruited via diverse materials simulating patient-oriented dissemination.
• Data were collected through web-based surveys and analyzed using descriptive statistics and open coding.

Main Results:

• Recruitment yielded 213 registrations, with 55 patients included, primarily undergoing abdominal surgery with high digital health literacy.
• The strategy reached 81% of potential users, with 87% creating recovery plans and reporting satisfaction (average 7.0/10) with independent use.
• A significant concern was conflicting recommendations between ikHerstel and health care professionals, causing patient insecurity.

Conclusions:

• The patient-oriented strategy for ikHerstel demonstrated feasibility and patient satisfaction in a small study.
• However, the exclusion of health care professionals led to patient concerns about conflicting advice and insecurity.
• Future implementations should consider integrating health care professionals to address recommendation conflicts and enhance patient confidence.