Brett A Simon1,2,3, Melissa J Assel4, Amy L Tin4, Priyanka Desai2,5, Cara Stabile2, Roberta H Baron6, Jennifer R Cracchiolo2, Rebecca S Twersky1,3, Andrew J Vickers4, Vincent P Laudone2. 1. Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. 2. Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. 3. Department of Anesthesiology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York. 4. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. 5. Josie Robertson Surgery Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York. 6. Department of Nursing, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York.
Abstract
Importance: Increasingly complex surgical procedures are being performed in the outpatient setting, increasing the burden on patients and caregivers to manage their postoperative symptoms. Electronic patient-reported symptom tracking may reduce this burden and help patients distinguish between expected symptoms and those requiring intervention. Objective: To determine whether electronic symptom reporting with clinical alerts for 10 days after ambulatory cancer surgery is associated with a reduction in potentially avoidable urgent care visits, defined as a visit not leading to admission. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Josie Robertson Surgery Center (JRSC), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's ambulatory surgery center with overnight stay capacity from September 20, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Patients undergoing prostatectomy, nephrectomy, mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction, hysterectomy, or thyroidectomy at the surgery center before (n = 4195) and after (n = 2970) implementation of the Recovery Tracker (RT) electronic postoperative symptom survey were included. Data analyses were conducted from February 1 to November 24, 2020. Exposures: A short electronic survey assessing symptoms daily for 10 days after surgery, administered via the patient portal, with alerts to the clinical team and follow-up for concerning responses. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was Memorial Sloan Kettering urgent care center visits with and without readmission and any readmission within 30 days after surgery. Nursing workload was measured by patient phone calls, emails, and secure messages as documented in the electronic medical record. Results: A total of 7165 patients were analyzed, including 4195 (median age, 53 [interquartile range (IQR), 44-63] years; 3490 women [83%]) from the pre-RT implementation period and 2970 (median age, 56 [IQR, 46-65] years; 2221 women [75%]) from after full implementation. On multivariable, intent-to-treat analysis by study period, having surgery in the post-RT period was associated with a 22% decrease in the odds of an urgent care center visit without readmission (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.60-1.00; P = .047). Having responded to at least 1 survey was associated with a 42% reduction in the odds of an urgent care center visit without readmission (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.39-0.87; P = .007). There was no change in the risk of admission. Nursing calls increased by a mean of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75-0.98) calls per patient after RT implementation (P < .001), a 34% increase. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, electronic symptom reporting with nursing follow-up for clinical alerts was associated with a reduction in potentially avoidable urgent care visits. The low risk and high benefit of this intervention suggest that these systems should be more broadly implemented.
Importance: Increasingly complex surgical procedures are being performed in the outpatient setting, increasing the burden on patients and caregivers to manage their postoperative symptoms. Electronic patient-reported symptom tracking may reduce this burden and help patients distinguish between expected symptoms and those requiring intervention. Objective: To determine whether electronic symptom reporting with clinical alerts for 10 days after ambulatory cancer surgery is associated with a reduction in potentially avoidable urgent care visits, defined as a visit not leading to admission. Design, Setting, and Participants: This retrospective cohort study was conducted at the Josie Robertson Surgery Center (JRSC), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center's ambulatory surgery center with overnight stay capacity from September 20, 2016, to December 31, 2018. Patients undergoing prostatectomy, nephrectomy, mastectomy with or without immediate reconstruction, hysterectomy, or thyroidectomy at the surgery center before (n = 4195) and after (n = 2970) implementation of the Recovery Tracker (RT) electronic postoperative symptom survey were included. Data analyses were conducted from February 1 to November 24, 2020. Exposures: A short electronic survey assessing symptoms daily for 10 days after surgery, administered via the patient portal, with alerts to the clinical team and follow-up for concerning responses. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was Memorial Sloan Kettering urgent care center visits with and without readmission and any readmission within 30 days after surgery. Nursing workload was measured by patient phone calls, emails, and secure messages as documented in the electronic medical record. Results: A total of 7165 patients were analyzed, including 4195 (median age, 53 [interquartile range (IQR), 44-63] years; 3490 women [83%]) from the pre-RT implementation period and 2970 (median age, 56 [IQR, 46-65] years; 2221 women [75%]) from after full implementation. On multivariable, intent-to-treat analysis by study period, having surgery in the post-RT period was associated with a 22% decrease in the odds of an urgent care center visit without readmission (OR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.60-1.00; P = .047). Having responded to at least 1 survey was associated with a 42% reduction in the odds of an urgent care center visit without readmission (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.39-0.87; P = .007). There was no change in the risk of admission. Nursing calls increased by a mean of 0.86 (95% CI, 0.75-0.98) calls per patient after RT implementation (P < .001), a 34% increase. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study, electronic symptom reporting with nursing follow-up for clinical alerts was associated with a reduction in potentially avoidable urgent care visits. The low risk and high benefit of this intervention suggest that these systems should be more broadly implemented.
Authors: Matthew B Clements; Amy L Tin; Connie L Estes; Ghalib Jibara; Priyanka K Desai; Behfar Ehdaie; Karim A Touijer; Peter T Scardino; James A Eastham; Melissa J Assel; Andrew J Vickers; Brett A Simon; Vincent P Laudone Journal: J Urol Date: 2021-09-21 Impact factor: 7.600
Authors: Thomas M Diehl; James R Barrett; Daniel E Abbott; Linda M Cherney Stafford; Bret M Hanlon; Qiuyu Yang; Rachel Van Doorn; Sharon M Weber; Corrine I Voils Journal: Contemp Clin Trials Date: 2021-12-22 Impact factor: 2.226
Authors: Kaitlyn Lapen; Christopher Sabol; Amy L Tin; Kathleen Lynch; Alyse Kassa; Xiaolin Mabli; John Ford; Elaine Cha; Michael B Bernstein; Lior Z Braunstein; Oren Cahlon; Bobby M Daly; Kiri Sandler; Susan A McCloskey; Andrew J Vickers; Atif J Khan; Erin F Gillespie Journal: Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys Date: 2021-07-24 Impact factor: 7.038