JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) is a validated, and cost-effective clinical pathway, proven to improve patient outcomes and health system performance indicators. This pathway involves multiple actions by both the patient and the health care team prior to the surgery, during the hospital stay and post-operatively. However, it is quite hard for patients to remember and keep track of all the steps of the pathway. In the current digital age, where many patients have access to mobile devices, there is an opportunity to leverage a App to improve patient compliance with the protocol and connect with the care team. In light of this, we have developed and customize an "ERAS App" for a cohort of patients in Alberta.

Objective:

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the implementation of the ERAS App, with an emphasis on patient and provider experience in gynecologic oncology and colorectal surgery.

Methods:

A mixed methods approach was used to evaluate the implementation of the App, collecting both quantitative survey and qualitative interview data, to understand the experiences and satisfaction of patients and clinicians who used the App.

Results:

In general, both patients and clinicians expressed satisfaction on how the App helped in ensuring the adoption and implementation of the ERAS protocol in patients undergoing colorectal and gynecologic oncology surgeries. However, there are important suggestions to improve the overall functionality of the App.

Conclusions:

In the current digital health post-COVID environment, there is a major opportunity to build, test and implement Apps to improve patient outcomes in more cost-effective ways. The ERAS App is a excellent example of integrating digital technologies in the health care journey of patients. Clinical Trial: Ethics clearance was obtained through the University of Calgary