A smartphone application improved spine surgery patient adherence with preoperative instructions and decreased last-minute surgery cancellations, according to a study in Cureus.
The study included 174 patients who underwent spinal surgery at Washington, D.C.-based MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. The researchers observed 85 patients who used the Amie by FavorHealth app and 89 non-app using patients.
All 85 app users adhered to preoperative instructions according to acknowledgements sent to the web portal. There were no cancelled surgeries among the app user group. Among the 89 non-app users, there were five cancelled surgeries, a 5.6 percent rate.
Researchers said the smart application helped improve patient adherence to preoperative instructions, while decreasing cancellations.