This is a randomized clinical trial to evaluate the use of mobile devices in preventing readmission in patients undergoing major GI cancer operations.
Patients will be randomized to 1) standard of care or 2) to use our mobile app with standard care. The mobile app will collect information on patients' daily physical activity patterns and health status data for clinicians using smartphone mobile technology applications. The investigators believe that by tracking information on patients, the investigators may be able to intervene sooner and prevent a delay in care.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
107
Mobility data will be generated using a mobile health tracker designed for smartphone devices, which allows the phone to automatically and passively (no patient input needed) capture information on the patient's activity; i.e. if the person is walking, remaining stationary, or moving at a rapid speed (eg. in a car). The app will prompt patients once daily to answer a series of questions that will collect patient reported symptoms and health status data. Physicians will be alerted to abnormal values within 24-48 hours and patients will be triggered to call their physicians immediately if the values are outside of normal parameters.
Post-operative standard of care information
Weill Cornell Medicine- New York Presbyterian
New York, New York, United States
Readmission rate
Investigators will track readmission rates after surgery for those on the trial
Time frame: 30 days
Healthcare utilization rates
Investigators will track patients' healthcare resource utilization and the cost of this utilization by assessing how often the patients contact their providers via phone or the app, access the emergency room, and through readmission data.
Time frame: 30 days
Patient Satisfaction with Device
Investigators will assess patients' satisfaction with their care experience and device. This will be done with an internal questionnaire asking if patients were satisfied and if they found it easy to use.
Time frame: 30 days
Quality of life: Return to Baseline Function-Walking
Investigators will monitor patients' return to baseline health after surgery by tracking progress via step counts, as monitored by a FitBit tracker.
Time frame: 30 days
Quality of life: Return to Baseline Function-Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Investigators will monitor patients' return to baseline health after surgery by tracking progress using a questionnaire, modified from the Katz Activities of Daily Living scale. For this scale, a score of 6 is high, indicating that the patient is independent and a score of 0 is low, indicating that the patient very dependent in performing their ADLs.
Time frame: 30 days
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