Objective: A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of a postdischarge app on 30-day readmissions and patient-reported outcomes following colorectal surgery. Background: Patients undergoing colorectal surgery are particularly vulnerable during their transition from hospital-to-home. There has been increasing interest in e-health to provide cost-effective transitional care. An integrated discharge monitoring program using a mobile app platform was developed to support patients after surgery. Methods: A 2 arm, superiority randomized control trial was conducted at an academic tertiary care center with patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery. The intervention group received usual postoperative care and postdischarge monitoring with the app. The primary outcome was 30-day readmissions following hospital discharge. Results: Two hundred eighty-two participants were randomized. The majority were young, had inflammatory bowel disease and underwent laparoscopic surgery. Intention to treat analysis showed no difference between groups for 30-day readmission (14.8% vs 17.6%, P=0.55), ER visits (25.0% vs 28.8%, P=0.49), primary care visits (12.5% vs 8.8%, P=0.34) or unplanned healthcare visits (34.4% vs 35.2%, P=0.89). All patient reported outcomes were significantly improved with median scores higher with the app for satisfaction [9, interquartile range (IQR): 8–10 vs 8, IQR: 7–9, P=0.001], well-being (7, IQR: 6–8 vs 6, IQR: 5–7, P=0.001) and significantly lower for anxiety (3, IQR: 2–5 vs 5, IQR: 3–6, P=0.001). Conclusions: Although the app did not show a significant reduction in 30-day readmission or ER visits, it did lead to significant improvements in patient-reported outcomes. The app may be an important tool to support patients following colorectal surgery.

Aim Patients undergoing colorectal surgery face high rates of emergency room visits and readmission to hospital. These unplanned hospital visits lead to both increased patient anxiety and health care costs. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of mobile application to support patients undergoing colorectal surgery following discharge from hospital. Method This study is a randomized controlled trial in which the control group will receive standard follow‐up care following discharge after surgery and the intervention group will receive standard follow‐up care in addition to the mobile application. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients with unplanned hospital visits within 30 days of discharge. The secondary outcomes are patient‐reported outcomes on validated scales evaluating their quality of recovery following discharge. A sample size of 670 subjects is planned. For the primary outcome, the control and intervention groups will be compared using a generalized linear model to account for clustering of patients within centres. For the secondary outcomes, the overall scores on the Quality of Recovery 15 and Patient Activation Measure will be analysed using a linear regression model. Results It is expected that the results of this study will show that the mobile app will lead to significant improvements in unplanned hospital visits as well as improved quality of recovery for patients. Conclusion If the trial is successful, the mobile app can be easily adopted more widely into clinical practice to support patients at home following surgery.