The Effect of a 30-day Automated Text Messaging Intervention on Hospital Based Acute Care Encounters Following Ileostomy

Overview

Each year a large number of patients undergo ileostomy surgery, a procedure in which a portion of the small intestine is attached to a hole in the abdominal wall, allowing for digested material to pass into a disposable bag worn attached to the skin. Ileostomies are performed for the treatment of a variety of diseases of the intestinal tract, such as inflammatory bowel disease, intestinal trauma, and gastrointestinal malignancy. Of the patients that undergo ileostomy surgery, 36% will require urgent medical care within the first 30 days of surgery. Most frequently, this is a result of dehydration due to excessive ostomy output. Thus, there is potential for significant improvement of the post-operative outcomes of ileostomy patients. Implementation of an automated text messaging system, EpxOstomy, can provide a way of monitoring patient's daily ostomy output and allow for timely intervention if output is outside normal limits, providing an effective way of improving patient outcomes while simultaneously reducing healthcare costs.

Each year thousands of patients undergo ostomy surgery in the treatment of diseases such as colorectal cancer, Crohn's disease, diverticulitis, and ulcerative colitis. During the 30-day post-operative period, patients that undergo ileostomy have a 36.1% rate of acute healthcare encounter compared to 16.2% of patients undergoing similar surgery but with primary anastomosis. The 30-day hospital readmission rate for ileostomy patients due to dehydration and renal failure is 17%, with the median cost per colorectal surgery readmission being $8,885. Thus, there is substantial room for post-operative improvement in the care of ileostomy patients, both to reduce healthcare costs and improve patient quality of life. An automated text messaging system can provide a way to consistently monitor patients' ileostomy output, ensuring that patients are measuring their daily output as instructed and allowing for timely preemptive intervention should output be outside normal limits.