Using Digital Health in a Postoperative Setting After Major Surgery: Survey Study

Using Digital Health in a Postoperative Setting After Major Surgery: a Prospective Single-center Quantitative Survey Study

This study aims to explore patients' use of digital services for self-management of their health following major surgery at Jessa Hospital. Besides this, the study evaluates patients' ability to process and critically assess health information during recovery, their understanding of health concepts and risk factors, and their perception of data security and control over personal health information. Additionally, the study aims to examine patients' motivation to use digital services, their access to and trust in reliable digital health resources, and how well these services meet their individual needs. Furthermore, the study assesses the acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility of using digital health tools in a post-operative setting, as well as evaluating the digital readiness of patients after surgery.

Digital health technologies are transforming healthcare, offering new ways to improve patient outcomes and enhance efficiency. Remote clinical monitoring (RCM), which uses digital technologies such as wearable devices and mobile apps to monitor patients outside of the traditional healthcare settings such as a hospital, holds significant potential for supporting post-operative care, especially in the context of faster hospital discharge after major surgery. Major surgery involves procedures on organ systems, such as cancer resections, organ transplants, and lung or abdominal surgeries. However, despite their promise, the successful implementation of these technologies into clinical practice requires a thorough understanding of the perspectives of the end user, being the patient. Patients' comfort, engagement, and perceptions about digital health solutions, such as self-management tools and remote monitoring pathways, are essential to ensuring these technologies are both effective and widely accepted.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Surgical patients

  • >18 years old, Undergone major surgery at Jessa Hospital Hasselt

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to provide informed consent or request to not participate in the study
• Cognitively incapable of understanding the study
• No understanding of the Dutch language