Table 2 Characteristics of studies included in scoping review
Authors and Country of origin | Sample (%) | Age | Setting | Intervention characteristics |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Abelson et al. 2017 [27] USA | Individuals: n = 739 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: female 368 (50) | 18–34: 200 35–49: 201 50–64: 213 ≥ 64: 125 | General population | Survey questions concerning the public’s access to and willingness to use mobile health technologies after surgery |
Bouwsma et al. 2018 [28] Netherlands | Individuals: n = 433 Intervention/control group: 227/206 Gender: n/a | M: 46(± 7)/46(± 7) | Gynaecology | An interactive web portal facilitated self-management through the surgical pathway, providing individual tailored convalescence advice preoperatively. The web portal contained an interactive self-assessment tool to monitor recovery. Patients were advised to resume their work activities gradually to reach full return to work within a predefined number of weeks |
Cnossen et al. 2016 [29] Netherlands | Individuals: n = 38 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: female 9 (24) | M: 65, range 46–78 | Laryngectomy | An app delivered a self-care education program and an exercise programme. Education and self-care management provided general information about the larynx, laryngeal cancer, and functional changes after total laryngectomy. The themes of self-care information were nutrition, tracheostomy care, voice prothesis care, speech and smell rehabilitation, mobility of head, neck, and shoulder muscles, which were illustrated with video animations, images, photos, and video demonstrations |
Davidovitch et al. 2018 [30] USA | Individuals: n = 268 Intervention only/intervention and ordinary care: 99/169 Gender: female 62(63)/94 (56) | 61(± 10)/66(± 10) | Total hip arthroplasty | A customizable electronic app specifically designed for rehabilitation after hip arthroplasty contained surgeon-specific videos to prepare patients before surgery and videos focusing on wound management and rehabilitation. Rehabilitation metrics offered patient activity together with the possibility of sharing images with their care teams |
Felbaum et al. 2018 [31] USA | Individuals: n = 56 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: female 33 (59) | M: 52 (± 14) | Neurosurgery | An app asked the patients to perform specific tasks, such as reading instructions. Confirmation of completed tasks was sent to the web portal, to which staff had full access. Patients also received specific timely reminder text messages. Additionally, patients could send their pain-scores and wound images to staff, enabling communication |
Glauser et al. 2019 [32] USA | Individuals: n = 30 Intervention/control group: n/a Users/nonusers: 8/22 Gender: female 5(62)/10(45) | M: 51/55 | Spine surgery | An app included preparation for surgery, preoperative risk mitigation, activity monitoring, wound care, and opioid use management, providing real time viewing of wound healing, activity and pain levels, and communication with providers. Patients were given a “daily to-do list” with video instructions and given a star when competed. The “to-do list” included activity levels and diet, as well as possibilities for reporting symptoms daily. Individual trends were shown graphically for both patients and providers |
Gustavell et al. 2019 [33] Sweden | Individuals: n = 59 Intervention/control group: 26/33 Gender: female 9(35)/13(39) | M (SD): 67(9)/66(9) | Pancreaticoduodenectomy | An app in which daily regular patient reports of self-assessed symptoms were requested. A reminder was sent every day. Patients was offered continuous access to evidence-based self-care advice, and graphs to view their history of symptom reporting. In the case of an alert, patients were contacted by their contact nurse |
Hou et al. 2019 [34] China | Individuals: n = 168 Intervention/control group: 84(50)/84(50) Gender: female 57(48)/50(42) | M (SD): 51(10)/49(10) | Spine surgery | The app contained two interfaces: a mobile-phone-based interface for patients and a web-based interface for doctors. Patients could view their rehabilitation plans that included individual video instructions. Patients received daily exercise reports and alerts to prompt them to return to the system. They could communicate with their doctors, who continuously adjusted rehabilitation plans |
van der Meij et al. 2018 [35] Netherlands | Individuals: (n = 344) Intervention/control group: 173(50)/171(50) Gender: female 95(55)/92(54) | M: 52, range42-61/51, range41-58 | Gynaecological and abdominal general surgery | The intervention care program comprised a website, an app, and an activity tracker, preparing patients for surgery and supporting them postoperatively. Patients could develop a personalized convalescence plan, access information about the perioperative period by text and video animation, use and monitor personal feedback on the recovery process, and had use of an e-consult function |
Mundi et al. 2015 [36] USA | Individuals: n = 30 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: female 27(90) | M (SD): 41(11) | Bariatric surgery | The app contained components aimed at educating, assessing, and engaging patients, that is, brief text messages encompassing lifestyle domains and short video-based education modules, which were followed to verify mastery of the topic. Tailored messages were electronically generated and sent to patients to modulate behaviour. Patients received either a congratulatory or supportive messages |
Pecorelli et al. 2018 [37] USA | Individuals: n = 45 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: female 16(36) | ≤ 50 11(24%) 50–70 22(49%) > 70 29(27%) | Bowel surgery | An app included patient education, reminders of daily recovery milestones, and questionnaires to track patients’ adherence to the recovery process and assess patient-reported outcomes. The app provided feedback on adherence to individual recovery elements and encouraged to reach daily goals. Motivation was enhanced by letting patients do private internet browsing and messaging on the iPad |
Pickens et al. 2019 [38] USA | Individuals: n = 122 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: n/a | n/a | Hepatopancreatobiliary surgery | A web-based platform accessible by any smartphone and tablet device was customized to an ERAS programme. Patients were provided with scheduled task reminders for preoperative preparation and prompted to access a digital education library reviewing details of their medical condition, scheduled operation, and anticipated ERAS expectations. From the day of surgery, the app provided prompts to complete a daily survey of symptoms, opiate use, anxiety, and quality-of-life scores. Responses triggered guidance for self-care at home, call to a nurse, or to seek immediate attention at the Emergency Department. Patients were encouraged to involve their family and friends |
Russ et al. 2020 [39] England | Individuals: n = 42 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: female 25(59) | 18–34 17(40%) 35–64 21(50%) ≥ 65 4(10%) | General-, orthopaedics, obstetrics, eye-, gynaecological and other surgery | An app aimed to enhance safety in the surgical process and provide evidence-based simple information and animations around specific areas of risk for safety: preparing for surgery, personal details, consent, hand hygiene, deep-vein thrombosis, falls, pressure ulcers, medications, wound care, nutrition, and going home. The app provided step-by-step advice on the actions that patients and their intimates could take, including warning signs to look out for, information, and questions to ask |
Timmers et al. 2019 [40] Netherlands | Individuals: n = 213 Intervention/control group: 114(54)/99(46) Gender: female 74(65)/60(61) | M (SD): 65(8)/66(8) | Knee replacement | The app offered day-to-day information. Push notifications were used to actively alert patients about information that was available. The text, photos, and videos in the intervention were based on existing protocols. After discharge, patients received supporting information on pain, physiotherapy exercises, wound care, and daily self-care activities. Additionally, patients were requested to enter their pain scores and were able to view their results in a graph. They could also upload a photo of their wound |
Tofte et al. 2020 [41] USA | Individuals: n = 16 Intervention/control group: n/a Gender: female 11(69) | M: 48, range: 23–63 | Carpal tunnel release | The app included online modules corresponding to elements of a typical postoperative visit: dressing removal, suture removal, documentation of wound appearance, evaluation of nerve symptoms, and documentation of a physical exam, including motor exam and range of motor. Video instructions guided patients through dressing removal and suture removal. Patients then uploaded a wound photo, completed a self-assessment of median nerve symptoms, and recorded a video of physical exam manoeuvres |