Enhancing Efficiency in Acute Arthroplasty Case Management Through Secure Messaging: A Siilo-Based Multidisciplinary...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic surgery
• Medical informatics
• Health services research

Background:

• Timely decision-making is crucial for complex arthroplasty cases like prosthetic joint infections (PJIs) and periprosthetic fractures.
• Traditional weekly multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings can cause delays in critical patient management.
• Evaluating secure medical messaging apps for expedited MDT discussions in acute arthroplasty admissions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of the Siilo secure messaging app in facilitating rapid MDT decision-making for acute arthroplasty cases.
• To quantify the time saved by using a secure messaging platform compared to conventional MDT meeting schedules.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective audit of acute arthroplasty cases managed via the Siilo platform over 12 months.
• Data collection included patient demographics, ASA grades, and diagnoses.
• Comparison of decision-making time via Siilo against the institutional average for traditional MDT meetings.

Main Results:

• 97 acute arthroplasty admissions were analyzed, with a median patient age of 72 years.
• The average time to decision using Siilo was 0.87 days, saving a mean of 3.03 days per case.
• Common diagnoses included knee PJI, hip PJI, and periprosthetic femoral fractures, with most patients having ASA grades 2 or 3.

Conclusions:

• The Siilo messaging platform significantly reduced time to MDT decision-making in acute arthroplasty.
• Secure messaging offers a practical advantage in managing complex orthopedic admissions.
• Secure messaging platforms are valuable adjuncts to traditional MDT frameworks, enhancing clinical efficiency and patient care.