Using Digital Health in a Postoperative Setting After Major Surgery: Semi-structured Interview Study

Patients' perceptions regarding the implementation of digital monitoring care pathways will be evaluated by asking questions about their experience and knowledge of remote care, their perceptions of whether digital monitoring can replace traditional face-to-face consultations, their need for digital information after discharge, and their experience with follow-up and contact with healthcare providers after discharge.

To examine patients' willingness to participate in digital care pathways, following items are questioned: willingness to be discharged sooner with remote monitoring available, factors that would motivate patients to use or recommend remote monitoring, and comfort and willingness to have health monitored remotely through an app or device.

To identify potential barriers to adopt digital care, challenges in using remote care will be surveyed.

Patients' concerns about safety when being discharged earlier with remote monitoring in place are assessed to understand patient concerns about their own safety.

Trust in the accuracy of data collected through remote monitoring and security of personal data when using remote monitoring are evaluated to understand patient concerns regarding data security and privacy.

To understand patient needs regarding parameter collection, patients are asked if they think there is a need for additional parameters to be collected beyond vital signs (e.g., blood pressure, oxygen saturation, body temperature, heart rate), or if they have specific preferences for health parameters to be collected.

To examine patients' skills regarding working with technology, skills in using technology, comfort using digital devices for health monitoring, and the need for training to use remote monitoring effectively will be investigated.

The desire for notifications when a parameter or questionnaire needs to be entered in an app, for alerts or alarms when a parameter is abnormal, for digital feedback from healthcare providers, or to communicate directly with healthcare providers through an app is explored to understand patient needs regarding the functioning of the digital monitoring care pathway.

To assess patient perceptions regarding the usefulness of a digital monitoring care pathway, their perception of the potential for remote monitoring to improve the recovery process, of benefits for patients/healthcare providers/society, of remote monitoring helping to reduce anxiety about recovery through continuous monitoring, and of remote monitoring helping to prevent complications, will be examined.

The willingness to participate in a study with remote monitoring is asked to assess patient willingness to participate in a study where digital monitoring is used.