Improving Thoracic Surgical Care Using Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROS)

What this Trial Is About

Thoracic surgery patients often face serious complications after surgery, including respiratory failure, infections, wound problems, and even death. These complications can require hospital readmission and invasive treatments. Usual care may not always detect symptoms of these complications early. This research aims to evaluate the use of electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePRO) monitoring to improve care by capturing symptoms and physical functioning reported directly by patients. The study will explore how well this monitoring system works and identify any challenges to its use in real-world settings. The study involves enrolling thoracic surgery patients to participate in remote ePRO monitoring through web-based or telephone surveys. This system sends electronic surveys about symptoms and physical function over time, coupled with automated alerts sent to providers if concerning responses are reported. Providers receive these alerts via email or electronic medical records and are expected to respond based on their usual clinical practice. The study is non-randomized and takes place at a single site, focusing on patients undergoing major thoracic surgery who are discharged home. Participants will complete symptom surveys remotely during the perioperative period. Researchers will monitor how many patients engage with ePRO monitoring and how providers adopt this system between months 4 and 6 after starting the study, as well as the overall reach by the end of the study. Outcomes such as complication rates, emergency visits, readmissions, mortality, and alert frequencies will be tracked up to 90 days post-discharge. The study aims to assess both the implementation process and potential impact of ePRO monitoring on postoperative care for thoracic surgery patients.

Improving Thoracic Surgical Care Using Electronic Patient-Reported Outcomes (ePROS)