New study aims to improve post-surgical care

A new study from Lawson Health Research Institute looking at whether digital care and communication can help improve patient outcomes after surgery has received a Compassion and AI Grant from AMS Healthcare.

The study aims to leverage technology to monitor patients who have been discharged from hospital following surgery. The goal is to ensure any complications are monitored and flagged to care teams in real-time.

Dr. Mahesh Nagappa, a Scientist at Lawson and Anesthesiologist at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), believes digital care may be a way to improve patient recovery, avoid ED visits and prevent hospital readmissions.

“When patients go home, we will enroll them in a remote monitoring program where there is two-way communication between them and their care team,” says Dr. Nagappa.

The study will include post-operative thoracic patients from LHSC who will be fitted with an electrocardiogram (ECG) patch on their chest, which will provide continuous information, including heart rate and blood pressure monitoring. An artificial intelligence (AI) system will track the data and alert the care team of anything abnormal.

Patients involved in the study will be able to communicate with doctors through virtual meetings if there are any questions or concerns. Clinical Navigator, Natasha Wood, will provide education, establish expectations and connect through video calls to identify any issues and concerns during recovery.

“The goal of this research is to improve patient outcomes while also enhancing the patient and provider experience,” explains Dr. Nagappa. “Ultimately, we want to ensure patients can recover where they are most comfortable – at home – by reducing length of stay in hospital, ED visits and readmission rates.”

The hope is to eventually expand use of the technology to other surgical areas.

“This remote monitoring program improves patient-physician communication, potentially reducing hospital readmissions and allowing for personalized care plans. This approach not only improves individual patient care but also improves hospital capacity,” says Dr. Richard Malthaner, co-investigator on the study, Division Head of Thoracic Surgery at LHSC and Scientist at Lawson.

AMS Healthcare named eight recipients of the Compassion and AI Grants funding program for 2023.