Abstract
BackgroundComplications after neurosurgical operations can have severe impact on patient well-being, which is poorly reflected by current grading systems. The objective of this work was to develop and conduct a feasibility study of a new smartphone application that allows for the longitudinal assessment of postoperative well-being and complications.MethodsWe developed a smartphone application “Post OP Tracker” according to requirements from clinical experience and tested it on simulated patients. Participants received regular notifications through the app, inquiring them about their well-being and complications that had to be answered according to their assigned scenarios. After a 12-week period, subjects answered a questionnaire about the app’s functionality, user-friendliness, and acceptability.ResultsA total of 13 participants (mean age 34.8, range 24–68 years, 4 (30.8%) female) volunteered in this feasibility study. Most of them had a professional background in either health care or software development. All participants downloaded, installed, and applied the app for an average of 12.9 weeks. On a scale of 1 (worst) to 4 (best), the app was rated on average 3.6 in overall satisfaction and 3.8 in acceptance. The design achieved a somewhat favorable score of 3.1. One participant (7.7%) reported major technical issues. The gathered patient data can be used to graphically display the simulated outcome and assess the impact of postoperative complications.ConclusionsThis study suggests the feasibility to longitudinally gather postoperative data on subjective well-being through a smartphone application. Among potential patients, our application indicated to be functional, user-friendly, and well accepted. Using this app-based approach, further studies will enable us to classify postoperative complications according to their impact on the patient’s well-being.
Highlights
If complications would not exist, neurosurgical operations could be offered to patients without hesitation and patients would not need to feel uneasy about an upcoming procedure
Our results suggest that the Post OP Tracker app in its current state is operational and can be used to longitudinally collect patient’s inputs on their subjective well-being and postoperative complications
Our volunteers/simulated patients were very satisfied with the Post OP Tracker with regard to usability and willingness to using it in a clinical setting
Summary
If complications would not exist, neurosurgical operations could be offered to patients without hesitation and patients would not need to feel uneasy about an upcoming procedure. Complications occur after about 5–50% of neurosurgical operations, depending on their definition and way of recording They have a varying impact on a patient’s. Depending on a particular complication’s type and severity this impact can range from mild to severe, it can be temporary or permanent and it might require non-operative or operative action to resolve Despite their particular importance, complications are not yet well recorded and classified. Postoperative complications are commonly graded according to the Clavien-Dindo grade (CDG) [3, 5] This grading system indicates, which kind of treatment is required to deal with a particular complication. Our application indicated to be functional, user-friendly, and well accepted Using this app-based approach, further studies will enable us to classify postoperative complications according to their impact on the patient’s well-being
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