Preoperative assessment using mobile technologies in the Czech Republic – are our patients ready for it?
Prospective, observational, multicentre, cross-sectional study

Czech version

Authors: T. Pařízek ¹; R. Gál ²; J. Hložková ³; P. Neumann ¹; J. Škola ¹; R. Škulec ¹; P. Štourač ⁴; R. Urbanec ⁵; T. Vymazal ⁶; Černý V. ^1,7–9
Authors‘ workplace: Klinika anesteziologie, perioperační a intenzivní medicíny, Univerzita J. E. Purkyně v Ústí nad Labem Masarykova nemocnice v Ústí nad Labem, Institut postgraduálního vzdělávání ve zdravotnictví ¹; Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzivní medicíny, Fakultní nemocnice Brno, Lékařská fakulta Masarykovy univerzity ²; Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzivní medicíny, Fakultní nemocnice Olomouc, Lékařská fakulta Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci ³; Klinika dětské anesteziologie a resuscitace, Fakultní nemocnice Brno, Lékařská fakulta, Masarykova univerzita ⁴; Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzivní medicíny, Fakultní nemocnice Ostrava, Lékařská fakulta Ostravská univerzita ⁵; Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzivní medicíny, 2. lékařská fakulta Univerzity Karlovy a Fakultní nemocnice Motol ⁶; Centrum pro výzkum a vývoj, Fakultní nemocnice Hradec Králové ⁷; Dept. of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Kanada ⁸; Klinika anesteziologie, resuscitace a intenzivní medicíny, Lékařská fakulta v Hradci Králové, Univerzita Karlova ⁹
Published in: Anest. intenziv. Med., 28, 2017, č. 4, s. 226-231
Category: Anaesthesiology - Original Paper

* za pracovní skupinu studie (seznam členů pracovní skupiny je uveden na konci práce)

Overview

Objective:
The aim of our study was to find out whether patients scheduled for elective surgery owned a smartphone, had access to internet/e-mail and whether they would be willing to undergo preoperative assessment (POA) using internet/mobile devices.

Design:
Observational, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional study.

Setting:
Preoperative clinics at tertiary care hospitals in the Czech Republic.

Materials and methods:
The study was based on a simple questionnaire which the patients had to answer at the end of their POA appointment. The recorded data included age, gender, level of education, ownership of a smartphone, access to internet/e-mail and the patients' willingness to undergo remote POA. The obtained data were analysed using descriptive statistical methods.

Results:
We analysed data from 1685 patients. Total 957 (57%) of them owned a smartphone, 1330 (79%) had access to the internet and 1260 (75%) used e-mail. Total 536 patients (32%) were willing to undergo remote POA. Patients with a university degree (164 of 343, 48%) were more likely to be willing to have remote POA.

Conclusion:
More than half of the patients undergoing POA owned a smartphone, had internet connection and used e-mail. Overall one third of the patients expressed their willingness to undergo remote POA; this proportion was higher in patents with a degree.

KEYWORDS:
preoperative assessment – telemedicine

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