An evaluation of patient experience before and after elective colectomy for diverticulitis between patients older and younger than 65 years: A pilot feasibility study in mobile health use

Abstract

Background: Mobile health (mHealth) platforms are being used to understand patient-reported experiences before and after surgery. Currently, there is limited literature describing the feasibility of using mHealth to evaluate patient experience among older adults. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of using mHealth to evaluate patient-reported outcomes among patients older and younger than 65 years undergoing elective colectomy for diverticulitis.

Methods: A prospective pilot study was performed between June 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021, enrolling patients aged > 18 years undergoing elective colectomy for diverticulitis at a single academic center (n = 62). A Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant mHealth platform was used to deliver patient-reported quality-of-life surveys at 3 time points: preoperatively, 3 months postoperatively, and 6 months postoperatively. The primary outcome was the feasibility of using mHealth in patients older and younger than 65 years to collect outcomes using recruitment, engagement, and survey completion rates. Preliminary findings of patient experiences were evaluated for patients older and younger than 65 years as secondary outcomes.

Results: Overall, 33.9% of participants were older than 65 years with a median age of 59.8 years (IQR, 53.3-67.9). mHealth enrollment was high (100%) with survey response rates of 79% preoperatively, 64.5% at 3 months postoperatively, and 17.7% at 6 months postoperatively. Response rates were similar among patients older and younger than 65 years (P = .79 preoperatively and P = .39 at 3 months postoperatively).

Conclusion: Utilization of mHealth to evaluate patient-reported outcomes is feasible in the preoperative and early postoperative settings, including older adults undergoing elective surgery for diverticulitis. Future work will focus on improving long-term outcomes to better examine potential differences when considering patient-centered outcomes among older adult patients.

Keywords: Colectomy; Diverticulitis; Quality of life outcomes; mHealth technology.