Perspectives on digital recovery platforms in perioperative care: insights from patients and clinicians.

Introduction

Digital health technologies, including wearable activity monitors (WAMs), have the potential to transform perioperative care by improving patient engagement and enhancing clinical decision making. However, there is limited qualitative research exploring how patients and healthcare professionals perceive such tools within the perioperative setting.

Methods

A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with six postoperative patients and five healthcare professionals at an Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. Participants interacted with physical activity data generated from WAMs and viewed on smart devices. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, following the Framework Methodology.

Results

Four key themes emerged from patient interviews: practicality, value, functionality and the WAM as a data collection/display tool. Patients valued the feedback for motivation and recovery tracking, but varied in preferred data presentation. Three themes emerged from healthcare professionals: value, multidisciplinary relationships and functionality. Clinicians viewed physical activity data as a useful adjunct to enhance recovery, discharge planning and patient empowerment; however, concerns about resource burden and data management were also noted.

Conclusions

Both patients and clinicians recognise the potential of digital recovery platforms to support individualised care and enhance postoperative recovery. Real-time feedback, user-friendly interfaces and integration with existing care pathways are critical for adoption. Future research should explore real-time deployment, broader surgical populations, and cost-effectiveness to inform wider implementation.