The mobile application records the symptoms and biometric data of bladder cancer patients after cystectomy Latest news for doctors, nurses and pharmacists

Bladder cancer patients undergoing radical cystectomy may benefit from using smartphones and wearable technology to track their symptoms and biometrics, according to a new study.

“Integrating mobile health technology and patient-reported outcome measures into clinical interventions has the potential to transform patient care,” the researchers said.

“Although management of patient-reported outcome measures has been shown to improve outcomes in ambulatory care, few studies have examined long-term patient-reported outcome measures after major cancer surgery,” they added.

To remedy this lack of knowledge, a multi-phase feasibility and usability study was designed and prepared. Researchers developed a mobile app-based postoperative symptom intervention tool that was evaluated by a focus group of bladder cancer patients and caregivers.

The team then prospectively enrolled patients before cystectomy. Participants completed a daily mobile postoperative symptom intervention tool and wore biometric monitoring devices for 30 days after discharge.

The following outcomes were assessed: retention, usability, and completion of the postoperative symptom intervention tool. Finally, the researchers conducted an exploratory analysis of daily symptoms and patient-generated health information to examine the association of symptoms with postoperative complications and hospital readmissions.

During the 30-day recovery period, 15 patients (average age 72 years) successfully completed 78 percent of the daily assessments. The average time to complete the postoperative symptom intervention tool was approximately two and a half minutes or 152 seconds. [J Urol 2023;209:410-421]

None of the patients found the daily survey difficult to use, and most stated that it would be a better way to communicate their symptoms to the care team than calling the clinic. Notably, they discovered that the frequency and severity of patient-reported symptoms on visual-analog mapping clustered before or during complications or unplanned medical encounters.

“Using smartphone and wearable technology to record patient-reported symptoms and biometrics is feasible and found to be highly usable by bladder cancer patients after cystectomy,” the researchers said. “Symptom scores may indicate emerging complications and help clinicians identify postoperative patients who may benefit from intervention.”

A previous study reported that a healthcare app could be used for more education and perioperative monitoring of patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer. [J Urol 2019;201:902-908]

In this study, all radical cystectomy patients with home Wi-Fi access received a tablet preloaded with the m.Care health app, an accelerometer, and a vital sign device. They were then asked to watch training videos, use the accelerometer, and monitor their own vital signs.

All participants used the accelerometer, 60 percent regularly synchronized the data. Their average number of steps before surgery was 5,679, which indicates a sedentary population. This decreased to 1351 during inpatient treatment and returned to baseline (3156 steps) after the intervention. Vital signs were recorded on 85 percent of the designated days and there were 33 triggers for intervention. [J Urol 2019;201:902-908]