New technology aims to save lives and prevent problems post-surgery

Close to 1 in 5 patients who undergo cardiac and major vascular surgery are back in the hospital two months later. Health researchers believe that is an alarming and preventable problem. Coventry University and McMaster University academics are working alongside medical professionals from Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital in the UK and Hamilton Hospital in Canada to conduct research aimed at developing an e-health service system, which will be used to provide post-operative care to hundreds of patients.

Investigators hope to reduce hospital readmission and save lives by linking patients with nurses via new technology that allows nurses to monitor patients in hospital or at home. Professor Andy Turner, Coventry University and Dr. Michael McGillion, Associate Professor McMaster University are the principal investigators of the SMArTVIEW project. They explain that “in hospital, patients will be connected to cableless remote automated monitoring devices. Their nurses will receive real time notifications via a handheld device about any subtle physiologic signs of deterioration that would otherwise go unnoticed. Once discharged, patients will go home with a computer tablet and a set of vital signs equipment so they can take their blood pressure up to three times daily. That information comes back to the nurse in near real-time on our surgical units so that they can have a video visit with the patient and assess what’s happening.

The study presents an opportunity to reduce the global risk of serious complications following cardiac and vascular surgery by making continuous patient monitoring and virtual support, from hospital to home, a reality. For further information contact Professor Andy Turner.

Academic:

Professor Andy Turner, Epidemiology, Centre for Intelligent Healthcare

Collaboration with McMaster University, Canada

McGillion M, Yost J, Turner A, Bender D, Scott T, Carroll S, Ritvo P, Peter E, Lamy A, Furze G, et al.Technology-Enabled Remote Monitoring and Self-Management - Vision for Patient Empowerment Following Cardiac and Vascular Surgery: User Testing and Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol. JMIR Res Protoc. 2016 Aug 1; 5(3):e149. Epub 2016 Aug 1.

McGillion HM, Turner A, Carroll S, Furze G. Busse J, Lamy A. Optimizing Self Management to Reduce Chronic Pain and Disability after Cardiac Surgery. March 2015Br J Cardiol 2015;22:38. doi:10.5837/bjc.2015.011

Carley Ouellette, Shaunattonie Henry, Andy Turner, Wendy Clyne, Gill Furze, Marissa Bird, Karla Sanchez, Judy Watt-Watson, Sandra Carroll, PJ Devereaux & Michael McGillion (2019) The need for novel strategies to address postoperative pain associated with cardiac surgery: A commentary and introduction to “SMArTVIEW”, Canadian Journal of Pain, 3:2, 26-35, DOI: 10.1080/24740527.2019.1603076