Post Operative Survey Through a Bi-Directional Secure Mobile Messaging System (mCare)

The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the feasibility of the implementation of the mCare system for postoperative follow-up and querying of patients receiving peripheral nerve blocks during their perioperative care. The investigators intend to perform a randomized pilot study comparing mCare with the current standard of care. Participants will be randomized into 2 groups: a) standard of care groups and b) mCare group. In the standard of care group, the participants will be followed-up via a phone call by an Acute Pain Service (APS) nurse, according to current standards. During the past year there have been 375 calls made, 64 of which have not been answered (17%). In the mCare group participants will be followed-up via mCare application. 48 hours after discharge an APS nurse is going to call the participants in group a) and the mCare system will notify participants in group b) to answer follow-up questions about their pain and peripheral nerve block. If necessary (based on the follow-up algorithm), participants in either group will be contacted (via phone call or the app, depending on group assignment) 7 days after their surgery to assess resolution of the peripheral nerve block. At the end of follow-up, on postoperative day 8, each patient will be asked to complete the satisfaction and convenience surveys. 10 days after their surgery participants in the mCare group will complete the System Usability Survey (SUS).At the end of the study, APS nurses and medical providers will be asked to complete the satisfaction and convenience surveys, and follow-up response data will be summarized and analyzed. Our research question is whether the use of the mCare system would result in improved patient compliance, satisfaction, and convenience on both the patient and the provider side, while being at least as safe as the standard of care.

Research question 1: Does the use of mCare app improve postoperative follow-up response rate of patients receiving perioperative peripheral nerve blocks who are discharged the same day?

Research question 2: Does satisfaction, convenience and ease of use differ between the mCare system and current standards a) in the patient population and b) among health care providers?

The pain assessment tool adapted for the mCare app will be the Defense and Veterans Pain Rating Scale(DVPRS),which is a 6 item questionnaire for assessing current pain, average and worst pain over the last 24 hours, and physical and emotional function. The DVPRS has been validated at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), but the administration has been paper based during rounds by the Acute Pain Service.

The current standard for follow up with patients who receive regional anesthesia for same day surgery is that the APS nurse contacts them 48 hours after the procedure and asks about their pain, qualities and duration of the nerve block, and their satisfaction with the service. If the patient's answers make it necessary (e.g. the block doesn't wear off, the numbness still persists) then the APS nurse calls them again one week after the surgery. If the numbness still persists at that point, then the APS nurse escalates their case by informing the regional anesthesia provider who decides further steps.

In this study, the investigators intend to substitute the phone call by the APS nurse with the use of the mCare app. Our research question is whether the app is at least as safe as the standard of care, and at least as easy to use and convenient as the phone call.