Using Digital Health in a Postoperative Setting After Major Surgery: Semi-structured Interview Study
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Semi-structured interview.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Digital Health. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Official title
Using Digital Health in a Postoperative Setting After Major Surgery: a Prospective Single-center Qualitative Semi-structured Interview Study
Overview
This study aims to evaluate whether patients recognize a need for a remote monitoring care pathway during the post-operative period following major surgery at Jessa Hospital by means of a semi- structured interview. Besides this, the study explores patient perceptions and willingness to participate in digital monitoring care pathways, identifies potential barriers to adoption, and addressing concerns related to safety, data security, and privacy. Additionally, the study aims to assess patient needs regarding parameter collection, technology usage, and the overall functionality of digital monitoring systems, while evaluating the perceived usefulness of such a pathway in post-operative care.
Detailed description
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.
Interventions
- Procedure Semi-structured interview
A semi-structured interview will be conducted once in-person to each patient after a follow-up consultation in the hospital after their major surgery
Primary outcome measures
- Need for monitoring of vital and subjective parameters after discharge [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
Secondary outcome measures (10)
- Perceptions regarding the implementation of digital monitoring care pathways [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Willingness to participate in digital care pathways [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Potential barriers to adopt digital care [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Concerns about safety [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Accuracy of data [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Needs regarding parameter collection [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Skills regarding working with technology [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Desire for notifications when a parameter or questionnaire needs to be entered in an app [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Perceptions regarding the usefulness of a digital monitoring care pathway [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
- Willingness to participate in a study with remote monitoring [Time frame: During a follow-up consultation within one year after major surgery]
Eligibility criteria
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
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- N/A
- Model
- Single group
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Supportive care
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07010055 · 2025/046