The goal of this feasibility study is to investigate whether a virtual Hospital at Home is safe and possible for patients undergoing planned minimally invasive colorectal surgery. The study aims to answer the following main questions:

What are the patient- and next-of-kin-related effects, as well as the clinical and organizational effects, of home-based admission? What are the implementation barriers for a full-scale randomized controlled trial? Participants will follow a standardized protocol for their care befor, during and after surgery. However, the care after surgery will be conducted at home using telemedicine.

Original Title

Feasibility of Early Post-Operative Discharge to a Virtual Hospital at Home Model for Colorectal Surgical Patients.

Purpose

Project context

Enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) is an evidence-based approach designed to help patients recover more quickly and safely after surgery( 1) . It is widely implemented in many centres that offer minimally invasive colorectal surgery (CRS) (2,3) . This multimodal approach aims to reduce the physical and psychological stress of surgery, resulting in lower complication rates, shorter hospital stays, and reduced healthcare costs. Continuous efforts are made to implement and evaluate individual components of the ERAS protocol, ensuring that valuable aspects for patients and society are maintained and enhanced, while redundant elements are eliminated ( 1,4,5) . Optimizing all modifiable patient-related factors before surgery and adhering to standardized peri-operative care pathways is essential when striving to not only surgically remove a disease but also to ensure that patients are better off after surgery ( 6-8) .

The key question and original premise for ERAS is: "Why is the patient still in hospital" (5) . With the technical advancements and necessity brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, a platform for virtual Hospital at Home (vHaH) was founded. Initially started as an admission-avoidance strategy for patients with acute medical conditions the concept evolved into an 'early discharge' hospital at home model and has been implemented by some elective surgical specialities (primarily orthopaedic) (9-10) .

CRS centres across the USA and Europe have been implementing Virtual Hospital or Same-Day discharge (SDD) for selected patients for the last couple of years (11-16) . Retrospective reviews and analyses of data, although inherently biased, have so far shown non-inferiority and suggested superiority regarding patient experience and safety ( 17-21) . A newly published pilot study on remote monitoring after CRC in rural areas showed feasibility and high patient acceptance ( 22) . However, there seem to be unreported barriers to generalized implementation. So far, there is only very limited documented surgical experience from sound research approaches available in the literature. This surgical feasibility study builds on methods previously tested in a medical population at the investigators' institution ( 23) . The findings will inform the development and design of a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the final telemedicine-supported vHaH model for surgical patients.

The overall aim of POPHaH is to implement a telemedicine monitoring and communication model that will enable the safe admission of postoperative patients in their homes.

A hospital based Virtual Surgical Centre (VSC) will be located in the Department of Surgery at Copenhagen University Hospital - North Zealand (NOH), from where medical staff will monitor and communicate with patients admitted at home. Vital parameters and patient-reported outcomes will be collected using a smartphone/tablet-based app. All data will be collected and displayed in real-time at the NOH in the VSC, allowing medical staff to monitor the vHaH patients similarly to in-patients. In addition, daily virtual ward rounds conducted by staff in the VSC and, when relevant, by medical doctors (MDs) from specialities relevant to the patients' illness(es) will ensure close communication and relevant clinical assessments.

This vHaH model is expected to become an integrated part of the hospital postoperative observation repertoire in the Capital Region of Denmark and elsewhere. In this feasibility study, hospitalized patients with surgical conditions will be offered the opportunity to continue their hospital course as a home-based admission.

Study Purpose

The objective of this feasibility study is to investigate and analyze the key factors involved in admitting adult patients undergoing CRS, including cancer surgery, in a vHaH model. The study aims to evaluate the likelihood of successfully completing the vHaH model in this patient group.

It will focus on assessing outcomes related to patients, their next of kin, clinical aspects and organizational dynamics. Additionally, it will examine factors crucial for determining the feasibility of conducting a full-scale randomized controlled trial.

Research Question

What are the patient- and next-of-kin-related effects, as well as the clinical and organisational effects, of home-based admission? What are the implementation barriers for a full-scale randomized controlled trial?

Hypothesis

The investigators hypothesize that early postoperative discharge of selected CRS patients to a telemedicine-supported vHaH model, will be a viable alternative to conventional hospitalization without compromising patient and next-of-kin safety or satisfaction.

Rationale

Virtual Hospital-at-Home (vHaH) following CRS offers numerous advantages. For patients, it promotes a faster return to normal life, encourages postoperative mobilization, reduces the risk of hospital-acquired infections, and allows recovery in the comfort of their own homes with family support. On a societal level, vHaH presents an opportunity to optimize healthcare resources, and addresses challenges posed by centralization and an aging population.

Over the past two decades, the Danish public healthcare system has undergone significant centralization, resulting in fewer, larger hospitals with a reduced bed capacity at both regional and national levels. At the same time, the aging population and increasing prevalence of multimorbidity have placed additional demands on the system. Prioritizing hospital beds without compromising the quality of care is crucial.

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) pathways have demonstrated that postoperative recovery can be efficient and safe within hospitals. Combining ERAS principles with vHaH models, supported by research on patient safety and satisfaction, enables same-day or next-day discharge to a vHaH after CRS for selected patients.

Given that ERAS pathways were originally designed for CRS, and with nearly two decades of experience in this field, together with the clinical and scientific experience from the medical colleagues in the Department of Pulmonology and Infectious Diseases at the investigators' institution, this surgical department is uniquely positioned to pilot the model. Successfully implementing a surgical vHaH program in this patient group could serve as a blueprint for expanding the approach to other abdominal surgical subspecialities and surgical specialities, further enhancing healthcare delivery across the board. The investigators are conducting a feasibility study to thoroughly examine potential barriers to implementing surgical vHaH, including logistical challenges and patient acceptance. This approach is designed to ensure the model's sustainability and adaptability for broader application. Following this, the investigators plan to evaluate its effectiveness through a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Inclusion Criteria:

• Planned minimally invasive (laparoscopic or robot-assisted) CRS
• No epidural analgesia
• No new stoma
• Bleeding < 500 ml
• Actual condition assessed to be clinically stable
• Meeting the Chung score discharge criteria for ambulatory surgery
• Self-reliant or receives sufficient formal care to be care-independent of a primary informal caregiver
• Home-based admission will be located within catchment area of the hospital (according to the official address of the individual)
• Signed informed written and oral consent

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients who cannot comply with self-assessment
• Improficiency in Danish
• Pregnancy
• Conversion to emergency surgery (uncontrolled perforation of bowel, ileus)
• Complications during surgery warranting in-hospital admission (observation in intensive care unit or close observation from other specialities, e.g. cardiology)