JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The National Health Service (NHS) cannot keep up with the demand for operations and procedures. To improve efficiency and reduce wait times for operations, preoperative assessments could be conducted online. MyPreOp is a cloud-based platform where patients can complete their preoperative questionnaires. These are reviewed by a nurse, who determines if they need a subsequent face-to-face appointment.

Objective:

The primary objective was to describe the potential impact of MyPreOp® (Ultramed Ltd, Penryn, UK) on the number of face-to-face appointments. Secondary objectives examined time spent on preoperative assessments completed using MyPreOp in NHS Trusts and user ratings of usability and acceptability.

Methods:

The study design is a case study service evaluation. Data was collected by the MyPreOp system from two NHS Trusts (Guy’s and St Thomas’ (GSTT) and Royal United Hospitals Bath RUHB)) and the private BMI Bath Clinic during the four-month period of September to December 2020. Participants were adults of any age and health status at the participating hospitals who used MyPreOp to complete a preoperative assessment before a scheduled surgery. The primary outcome was the number of face-to-face appointments avoided by patients who used MyPreOp. Secondary outcomes investigated included the length of time spent by nurses completing preoperative assessments, associated travel-related CO2 emissions compared with standard care, and quantitative user feedback. User feedback was assessed at all three sites, but the other outcomes could only be examined in the RUHB sample due to data limitations.

Results:

Data from 2,500 participants was included. Half of the patients assessed did not need a further face-to-face appointment and required a median of only 5.3 minutes of nurses’ time. The reduction in appointments was associated with a small saving of CO2e emissions (9.05 tonnes). Patient feedback was generally positive: 80% of respondents rated MyPreOp as easy or very easy to use and 85% thought the overall experience was good or very good.

Conclusions:

This evaluation demonstrated potential benefits of MyPreOp. However, further research using rigorous scientific methodology and a larger sample of NHS Trusts and users is needed to provide strong evidence of MyPreOp’s efficacy, usability, and cost-effectiveness.