CLEAR Care Companion Application

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center28 enrolled

Overview

Hospital readmissions are common after major cancer surgery, leading to poorer patient outcomes, increased mortality and additional costs. In this study, Clinical and Engineering Approaches to Readmission (CLEAR) Care Companion Application, investigators aim to utilize a smartphone application that tracks concerning postoperative symptoms and provides educational interventions to determine if this can minimize delays in communication between patients and medical providers, increase patient satisfaction with the care received, and reduce or lessen the severity of readmissions.

Patients complete clinically meaningful questions and validated questionnaires pertaining to physiological and psychological symptoms that serve as early indicators of readmission, with the aim to improve experience by empowering patient to be active participants in their recovery, identify complications early to minimize morbidity and reduce overall readmissions. The study has the following three objectives: (1) Assess patient engagement with the CLEAR Care Companion application for patients that have undergone radical cystectomy (2) Measure patient experience with the application and its effect on satisfaction with overall care (3) Evaluate the effect of the application on case complexity (readmission intensity) and overall readmission rates.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Bladder Cancer Radical Cystectomy

Interventions

CLEAR Care Companion (CC) applicationBEHAVIORAL

The CLEAR CC application is an EPIC-based, electronic application, downloaded to the patient's Smartphone or Tablet. The CLEAR CC leverages patient-reported symptoms assessment vis-a-vis push notifications to complete clinically meaningful questions and validated questionnaires pertaining to symptoms that serve as early indicators of readmission. The CLEAR CC application will send notifications beginning two days prior to surgery and continue until the 6 week post operative appointment.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Patients undergoing a radical cystectomy with reconstruction through GU Oncology Clinic * Patient at the University of Michigan (Michigan Medicine) * Access to compatible smartphone or tablet device Exclusion Criteria: * Non-English speaking patients * Patients without access to a smart phone or tablet with internet capacity

Locations (1)

University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Frequency of engagement with application

To measure patient engagement with the application, the number of responses to application notifications and patient inputs will be captured in the electronic medical record (EMR). Descriptive statistics will be used to assess frequency and duration of engagement.