Abstract
BackgroundThe growth in patient-centered care delivery combined with the rising costs of health care have perhaps not unsurprisingly been matched by a proliferation of patient-centered technology. This paper takes a multistakeholder approach to explore how digital technology can support the cocreation of value between patients and their care teams in the delivery of total knee replacement (TKR) surgery, an increasingly common procedure to return mobility and relieve pain for people suffering from osteoarthritis.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate communications and interactions between patients and care teams in the delivery of TKR to identify opportunities for digital technology to add value to TKR health care service by enhancing the cocreation of value.MethodsA multistakeholder qualitative study of user needs was conducted with Australian stakeholders (N=34): surgeons (n=12), physiotherapists (n=3), patients (n=11), and general practitioners (n=8). Data from focus groups and interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis.ResultsEncounters between patients and their care teams are information-rich but time-poor. Results showed seven different stages of the TKR journey that starts with referral to a surgeon and ends with a postoperative review at 12 months. Each stage of the journey has different information and communication challenges that can be enhanced by digital technology. Opportunities for digital technology include improved waiting list management, supporting and reinforcing patient retention and recall of information, motivating and supporting rehabilitation, improving patient preparation for hospital stay, and reducing risks and anxiety associated with postoperative wound care.ConclusionsDigital technology can add value to patients’ care team communications by enhancing information flow, assisting patient recall and retention of information, improving accessibility and portability of information, tailoring information to individual needs, and by providing patients with tools to engage in their own health care management. For care teams, digital technology can add value through early detection of postoperative complications, proactive surveillance of health data for postoperative patients and patients on waiting lists, higher compliance with rehabilitation programs, and reduced length of stay. Digital technology has the potential to improve patient satisfaction and outcomes, as well as potentially reduce hospital length of stay and the burden of disease associated with postoperative morbidity.
Highlights
Health care delivery is changing from paternalistic models toward more participative and patient-centered models in which patients, as consumers of health care services, are viewed as active rather than passive participants in their own health care [1,2]
Digital technology can add value to patients’ care team communications by enhancing information flow, assisting patient recall and retention of information, improving accessibility and portability of information, tailoring information to individual needs, and by providing patients with tools to engage in their own health care management
Theme 1—The Patient Total Knee Replacement Journey. It was clear from the way patients and clinicians described total knee replacement (TKR) that it is not an event but a journey of 12 months or more, which officially starts when a patient obtains a referral to an orthopedic surgeon (OS) from their local general practitioner (GP)
Summary
Health care delivery is changing from paternalistic models toward more participative and patient-centered models in which patients, as consumers of health care services, are viewed as active rather than passive participants in their own health care [1,2]. We explore how care teams can utilize digital technology to support patient-centered care for better outcomes and higher patient satisfaction in total knee replacement (TKR). TKR is an increasingly popular elective surgery for people wanting relief from knee pain and loss of lifestyle because of reduced functionality. A 2012 systematic review of journal articles on postoperative outcomes for TKR indicated that as many as 10% to 34% of TKR patients continue to experience long-term pain after knee replacement [14]. This paper takes a multistakeholder approach to explore how digital technology can support the cocreation of value between patients and their care teams in the delivery of total knee replacement (TKR) surgery, an increasingly common procedure to return mobility and relieve pain for people suffering from osteoarthritis
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