Sunnybrook’s Holland Centre is one of the largest hip and knee joint replacement centres in Canada, performing over 2,200 procedures annually. Following hip/knee replacement surgery, patients generally return home in 2-3 days with limited engagement until their 6-8 week follow-up visit. During this period, patients may seek alternate heath care services or leave concerns unaddressed potentially interfering with recovery. Building on these concerns, we received important feedback from a recent qualitative study where we explored the informational needs and delivery preferences for education of patients undergoing hip/knee replacement. While there was support for our existing formats, there was also an interest in accessing information from newer technologies including Apps. Based on these findings, we recognized the need to develop an App to better support the learning needs of our patients and empower them to manage their postoperative recovery and improve their overall surgical outcomes.
Our team in partnership with patients and a health technology company created a mobile app; myHip&Knee. Patient and family feedback was sought throughout to inform the content and design features to ensure applicability and ease of use. Early engagement of privacy and legal with close end-user collaboration represent some of the critical steps to successful development. Results to date demonstrate the App improves the patient experience and reduces follow-up calls and visits to the hospital, ultimately reducing healthcare expenditures. Patients are now receiving focused education at the right time in their recovery; enabling them to better self-monitor and receive relevant recommendations. For more info: www.sunnybrook.ca/myhip&knee.
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