Relias Media - Continuing Medical Education Publishing

The trusted source for

healthcare information and

CONTINUING EDUCATION.

  • Sign In
  • Sign Out
  • MyAHC
    • Home
      • Home
      • Newsletters
      • Blogs
      • Archives
      • CME/CE Map
      • Shop
    • Emergency
      • All Products
      • Publications
      • Study Guides
      • Live Webinars
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Libraries
    • Hospital
      • All Products
      • Publications
      • Study Guides
      • Live Webinars
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Libraries
    • Clinical
      • All Products
      • Publications
      • Study Guides
      • Live Webinars
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • All Access
      • Learn More
      • My Subscription
    • My Account
      • My Subscriptions
      • My Content
      • My Orders
      • My CME/CE
      • My Transcript
    Home » Patients Prep for, Recover from Surgery with App

    Patients Prep for, Recover from Surgery with App

    September 1, 2016
    No Comments
    Reprints
    Facebook Twitter Linkedin Share Share

    Related Products

    Help patients recover from the fear of falling | Single Article

    App targets assistance for cancer patients | Single Article

    An Analysis of Primary Hormonal Therapy without Surgery for Elderly Patients with Operable Breast Cancer | Single Article

    Keywords

    smartphones

    surgery

    charlottesville

    app

    A new smartphone app is helping surgery patients at the University of Virginia (UVA) Health System in Charlottesville follow a treatment program to better prepare them for surgery and speed their recovery.

    Since 2013, colorectal surgery patients at UVA have used the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) program. ERAS aims to educate patients, improve their outcomes, and help to make them more comfortable before and after their surgery. In the first six months after ERAS was implemented for elective colorectal surgery, the overall median length of stay for patients decreased, overall complication rates were reduced by about 50%, and patient satisfaction scores improved across the board.

    The ERAS program includes:

    • having patients drink sports drinks two hours before surgery to reduce the need for IV fluids;
    • providing non-narcotic medications to minimize use of opioid pain medications;
    • getting patients out of bed and walking soon after surgery;
    • having patients eat as soon as possible after surgery.

    The key to making ERAS work is extensive patient education before and after surgery, UVA care providers said. Patients already receive an educational handbook and a paper checklist to ensure they complete needed tasks.

    “We are bringing patient education into the digital age with an ERAS website and a mobile app to complement the handbook. This ensures patients have the information they need to understand their care and be better prepared for surgery,” said Bethany M. Sarosiek, RN, the ERAS development coordinator at UVA. “The app puts the information directly at their fingertips.” (To access the ERAS website, readers can go to http://bit.ly/2aoaZNw.)

    How the App Works

    UVA worked with Charlottesville, VA-based Willowtree to develop an app that brings information from the handbook and the checklist to a patient’s smartphone, said Derrick Stone, director of software development at UVA Health System. Patients download the free app in the clinic, then enter their surgery details and information. Reminders are sent directly to their smartphone in preparation for surgery.

    For example, patients receive a checklist of when to stop taking certain vitamins and supplements. This information is important because, without a reminder, patients may forget, and surgery could be postponed.

    Patients also receive a pop-up message on their phone on the morning of their surgery that includes directions to the hospital and information about where to park.

    After surgery, patients receive reminders about getting up to walk around. This reminder helps improve their mobility while preventing breathing problems, reducing the risk of blood clots, and ensuring early return of bowel function.

    “Having the reminders sent directly to their smartphone allows them to see the information at the right time, wherever they are,” Sarosiek said. “We are hopeful this will improve compliance, reduce surgery cancellations and postponements, improve patient outcomes, and reduce hospital readmissions.”

    As the ERAS program rolls out to additional surgery services at UVA, so too will the app. Gynecologic surgery will be the next program supported. (For more on the health system’s efforts, see “With new protocols, patients come out of the OR nearly discharge-ready,” Same-Day Surgery, October 2014, at http://bit.ly/2aEoJ8Q.)

    Post a comment to this article

    Report Abusive Comment

    www.reliasmedia.com

    Same-Day Surgery

    View PDF
    Same-Day Surgery (Vol. 40, No. 9) - September 2016
    September 1, 2016

    Table Of Contents

    Outpatient Surgery Staff Members Can Fight Patients’ Opioid Addiction

    CMS Proposes 1.2% Rate Increase for ASCs

    Measures Added to Hospital, ASC Quality Program

    1.55% Pay Boost Proposed for Hospital Outpatients

    CMS Proposes to Drop Physician Pay Rate 0.08%

    Your Most Expensive Asset Might Be at Risk

    Pre-Surgery Optimization Clinic Supports Patients at High Risk for Complications

    Patients Prep for, Recover from Surgery with App

    FDA Clears New Treatment for Low Back Pain

    Zika Transmitted by Needlestick to Lab Worker

    Amid Protests from Hospitals, CMS Releases Overall Star Ratings

    Pediatric Groups Update Sedation Clinical Guidelines

    Falls May Be a Strong Indicator of Baseline Health

    CMS Corrects New Fire Safety Requirements

    Begin Test

    Buy this Issue/Course

    Executive Editor Joy Dickinson, Nurse Planner Kay Ball, Physician Reviewer Steven A. Gunderson, DO, and Consulting Editor Mark Mayo report no consultant, stockholder, speaker’s bureau, research, or other financial relationships with companies having ties to this field of study. Stephen W. Earnhart discloses that he is a stockholder and on the board for One Medical Passport.

    Shop Now: Search Products

    • Subscription Publications
    • Books & Study Guides
    • Webinars
    • Group & Site
      Licenses
    • State CME/CE
      Requirements

    Webinars And Events

    View All Events

    Free Email Newsletters

    All Fields Required

    E-Newsletter Options
    • Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education
    • American Nurses Credentialing Center
    • American College of Emergency Physician
    • American Board of Internal Medicine: Maintenance of Certification
    • California Board of Registered Nursing
    • Commission for Case Manager Certification
    • American Academy of Pediatrics
    • American Osteopathic Association
    • Home
      • Home
      • Newsletters
      • Blogs
      • Archives
      • CME/CE Map
      • Shop
    • Emergency
      • All Products
      • Publications
      • Study Guides
      • Live Webinars
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Libraries
    • Hospital
      • All Products
      • Publications
      • Study Guides
      • Live Webinars
      • On-Demand Webinars
      • Libraries
    • Clinical
      • All Products
      • Publications
      • Study Guides
      • Live Webinars
      • On-Demand Webinars
    • All Access
      • Learn More
      • My Subscription
    • My Account
      • My Subscriptions
      • My Content
      • My Orders
      • My CME/CE
      • My Transcript
    • Help
    • Search
    • About Us
    • Sign In
    • Register
    Relias Media - Continuing Medical Education Publishing

    The trusted source for

    healthcare information and

    CONTINUING EDUCATION.

    Customer Service

    customerservice@reliasmedia.com

    U.S. and Canada: 1-800-688-2421

    International +1-404-262-5476

    Accounts Receivable

    1-800-370-9210
    ReliasMedia_AR@reliasmedia.com

    Mailing Address

    • 1010 Sync St., Suite 100
      Morrisville, NC 27560-5468
      USA

    © 2019 Relias. All rights reserved.

    Privacy Policy  Terms of Use  Contact Us  Reprints  Group Sales

    For DSR inquiries or complaints, please reach out to Wes Vaux, Data Privacy Officer, DPO@relias.com

    Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing