Lauren Jamsen
Pronouns: she/her/hers
Research Mentor(s): Sydney Brown
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Anesthesiology / Medicine
Program:
Authors: Rachel Kubiak, Daniel Clauw, Jennifer Walijee, Sydney Brown
Session: Session 1: 9:00 am – 9:50 am
Poster: 83
Abstract
Each year, 250,000 adolescents undergo orthopedic surgery. While severe complications and mortality are rare, patient-reported outcomes (PROs) that assess pain, nausea, disrupted sleep, and physical functioning are seldom evaluated since much of recovery occurs at home. We hypothesized that the real-time app-based assessment of PROs is feasible and acceptable during the 30 days following orthopedic surgeries for both adolescents aged 12-17 and their caregivers. Thirty adolescents aged 12-17 who had undergone lower extremity orthopedic surgery and their caregivers completed daily and weekly surveys using a mobile app. Measures assessed included validated PROMIS measures for pain, nausea and vomiting, sleep, and physical mobility. At study completion, patients and caregivers completed a survey that addressed their perceptions of the mobile app. The survey asked participants about the burden of completing the real-time assessment of symptoms, the number of questions, and the appropriateness of the study duration. Responses were recorded using Likert scales. Adolescents completed an average of 81% of surveys during the 30-day study period, while caregivers completed an average of 75%. 93.33% of caregivers and 100% of adolescent patients completed the study, defined as the completion of at least one survey during the last seven days of the 30-day study period. The mobile app was found to be acceptable by participants. 100% of all participants strongly agreed or agreed that the app was easy to use. 85% of adolescents and 82% of caregivers strongly agreed or agreed that answering the daily questions fit easily into their routine. 89% of adolescents and 100% of caregivers strongly agreed or agreed that the number of daily questions was reasonable. Finally, 78% of adolescents and 82% of caregivers stated they would be extremely likely or likely to participate in a similar study that lasted 30 days. Our findings confirm our hypothesis that utilizing a mobile application to gather data on postoperative symptoms is feasible and well-received by adolescents. These surveys enable young patients to provide providers with real-time information, ultimately aiding in the identification and treatment of problematic postoperative symptoms that might otherwise be missed by providers because symptoms occurred after hospital discharge. Collecting PROs through mobile apps could increase patient engagement and enable the provision of invaluable data to anesthesia providers which could be used to improve anesthetic management during future encounters.
