JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Mobile health (mHealth) technologies are increasingly being utilized for patient care, but literature supporting their efficacy in otolaryngology is limited.

Objective:

This study seeks to understand the impact that CareSense, an mHealth technology designed to educate patients on their upcoming surgeries, utilization has on post-operative outcomes of sinonasal surgery.

Methods:

This is a retrospective cohort study performed at a single tertiary care academic medical center between May 2021 and January 2024. A total of 1,135 patients underwent surgery between May 2021 and January 2024, with 340 CareSense participants and 795 nonparticipants. The outcomes measured were readmission rates and emergency room visits at 30, 60, and 90 days post-surgery, as well as length of stay (LOS) in the event of readmission. Univariate and multivariate analyses with logistic regression were performed, with a p-value < 0.05 considered significant.

Results:

The participating group had a lower adjusted odds ratio (OR) for readmission for any cause at 30 days (OR 0.24, CI95% 0.08 – 0.75; P = .007), 60 days (OR 0.4, CI95% 0.19 – 0.83; P = .013), and 90 days (OR 0.54, CI95% 0.29 – 0.99; P = .04) when compared to the nonparticipating group. The average LOS for readmissions for the participating group was 0.17 days compared to 1.68 days in the nonparticipating group (P < .001).

Conclusions:

This study demonstrates the benefit of CareSense in lowering postoperative readmission rates and LOS for sinonasal surgery patients, illustrating the role of medical health technology in improving patient care and quality outcomes.