An interventional study of RecoverWell mobile app for follow-up care in Breast Cancer and Gynecologic Cancer, sponsored by Alberta Health Services, Calgary. Completed at 1 site in Canada. Open to female participants aged 18 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2021-04-21.
Sponsored by Alberta Health Services, Calgary · Not applicable, Interventional, and Health services research
This study will assess whether the implementation of a combination of ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocols and postoperative followup via a smartphone app can offer 1) improved patient satisfaction, 2) virtual patient monitoring without an increase in postoperative emergency room visits, number and severity of postoperative complications, and readmissions, 3) decreased healthcare system costs, and 4) improved patient convenience and reduced patient financial costs. The study will be conducted among women having mastectomy, breast reconstruction, and gynecological oncology procedures. Half of the participants will be assigned to physician monitoring via a smartphone app and half will receive conventional care.
ERAS® (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocols are evidence-based best practices bundled together to revolutionize pre-, intra-, and postoperative care resulting in better patient outcomes, increased patient postoperative satisfaction, and decreased healthcare costs. ERAS® protocols in breast reconstruction and gynecologic oncology have been developed by surgeons from the Tom Baker Cancer Centre and have the sanction of the international ERAS® Society for implementation globally.
As of 2015, the majority of Canadians owned a cell phone. Technological advances in these forms of communications have been shown to positively impact patient experience and reduce healthcare system burdens. Telemedicine delivered healthcare via smartphone apps now include platforms for encouraging healthy behaviors, monitoring chronic healthcare conditions, organizing personal healthcare records, and monitoring postsurgical wounds.
The proposed study would marry these two advances, ERAS® protocols and smartphone technology, to consider how the combination of these two approaches to postsurgical care might enhance patient satisfaction and convenience and minimize financial burden while providing high quality care and monitoring. Additionally, the combination of these approaches has the potential to benefit the healthcare system in a number of ways. By lessening surgery-related length of stay and reducing the number of postsurgical visits, an opportunity for cost-savings is evident. In addition, in a system that is troubled by long wait-times for some procedures, reducing lengths of stay and surgeons' postoperative clinical burden means more patients can be seen and treated in a timely fashion. This is a win-win for the healthcare system and patients. It provides structure for more efficiently caring for post-operative patients in a patient first manner that supports physicians, transforms care, and engages in responsible stewardship of healthcare resources according to the Foundational Strategies developed by Alberta Health Services.
The current study would assess the patient, physician, and healthcare system impact of combining ERAS® protocol-guided oncological surgery with postsurgical patient monitoring via a smartphone app that would lessen patients' postoperative burden when postoperative recovery is uneventful and would alert physicians earlier when things are not going well.
Exclusion Criteria:
Participants will use an app to submit photos of their surgical site, QoR15 scores, and EORTC selected adverse events scores daily for 2 weeks post-op \& weekly for another 4 weeks. Surgeons will use a wireless interface to access that data and monitor the patient's condition. Participants will complete questionnaires and keep diaries related to satisfaction, medical system encounters, surgical complications, followup-related financial costs, and telemedicine satisfaction at 2 \& 6 weeks post-op. They will attend prescribed follow-up appointments with their surgeon with the option to skip 1 or more follow-up appointments dependent on their recovery trajectory \& surgeon.
Other: RecoverWell mobile app for follow-up care
The conventional follow-up care group will keep to conventional follow-up schedules of all surgeons involved. They will complete questionnaires and keep diaries related to satisfaction, medical system encounters, surgical complications, and followup-related financial costs at 2 \& 6 weeks post-op and attend all scheduled follow up appointments.
The mobile app follow-up care is an application that can be loaded onto a smartphone. It allows the patient to submit photos of their surgical site, QoR15 scores, and EORTC selected adverse events scores. The information collected is transmitted to members of the surgical team (i.e. the primary surgeon) and used to monitor recovery over the first 6 weeks following surgery.
Also known as: QoC Health Inc. mobile application, RecoverWell
Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ-III) - Select Subscales
The PSQ-III is a validated questionnaire made up of several subscales and employing a "statement of opinion" response model of 5 response categories (strongly agree, agree, uncertain, disagree, strongly disagree). The subscales being employed in the current study include general satisfaction, communication with your doctor, time spent with doctor, financial aspects, and access/availability/convenience.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Quality of Recovery 15
The Quality of Recovery 15 scale captures patient reported postoperative assessment of various dimensions of health including patient support, comfort, emotions, physical independence, and pain. Patients rate each of the 15 statements from 1 (never) to 10 (always).
Time frame: 6 weeks
Patient-borne Financial Costs of Followup Appointments
The costs related to attending one or more surgical followup appointments will be tracked. Participants will maintain a log of all associated expenses.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Total Number of Contacts with Medical System Postoperatively
The total number of contacts with the healthcare system postoperatively will be tracked.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Postoperative Complications
All complications occurring within the study period will be tracked. This information will be gathered.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Adverse events NCI Version 3 / EORTC
Select adverse events including diarrhea, constipation, fever, urinary frequency/urgency, vaginal bleeding, wound complications, and fatigue will be tracked.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Healthcare Professionals' Contact with Study Patients
The participating surgeons and study nurses will keep diaries of time spent on patient followup, including followup appointments, receiving and returning phone calls, and tame spent related to virtual monitoring via the smartphone app.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Healthcare Professional Response to Virtual versus Traditional FollowUp Care
A telephone interview will be conducted with study surgeons and nursing staff at the end of the study to inquire into the impact on medical professionals conducting conventional versus virtual monitoring of postoperative patients.
Time frame: 6 weeks
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Plan to share: No
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Alberta Health Services, Calgary