Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jun 30;22(1):844.
doi: 10.1186/s12913-022-08219-4.

Healthcare workers' perceptions of how eHealth applications can support self-care for patients undergoing planned major surgery

Anna Granath  1 , Kerstin Eriksson  2 , Lotta Wikström  3   2
Affiliations

Healthcare workers' perceptions of how eHealth applications can support self-care for patients undergoing planned major surgery

Anna Granath et al. BMC Health Serv Res. .

Abstract

Background: In planned major surgery the duration of inpatient hospital care during the last decade has decreased because of a combination of different perioperative interventions. It is expected that patients can manage the needed pre- and postoperative self-care to a large extent on their own. This entails challenges to healthcare system to deliver appropriate information to patients in a safe and efficient manner. The aim of this study was therefore to describe healthcare workers' perceptions of how eHealth applications can support patients' self-care in relation to planned major surgery.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were performed with sixteen healthcare workers from different disciplines. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using the phenomenography approach.

Results: Healthcare workers perceived both positive aspects and challenges with eHealth applications for self-care. eHealth applications can work as an information source, affect patients' understanding of self-care, improve patients' participation in self-care, streamline communication with healthcare professionals and improve patient safety during the pre- and postoperative period. The challenges included perceptions of that eHealth applications may have negative impact on personal interaction in care. eHealth applications may not be useful to all patients because of lack of equipment or knowledge and may increase patients' suffering if physical visits are replaced by digital solutions.

Conclusions: This study improves our understanding of healthcare workers' perceptions of how the use of self-care eHealth applications can support patients in performing pre- and postoperative self-care for major surgery. Access to appropriate and personalized information and instructions can improve patients' understanding of self-care and enhance the participation and safety of those who can afford and handle digital tools. All these aspects must be considered in future digital development of eHealth applications to guarantee a person-centered care.

Keywords: Healthcare workers; Major surgery; Perceptions; Self-care; eHealth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Results of analysis: Two main categories with associated subcategories
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ansari D, Gianottic L, Schröder J, Andersson R. Fast-track surgery: Procedure-specific aspects and future direction. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2013;398:29–37. doi: 10.1007/s00423-012-1006-9. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Berg U, Berg M, Rolfson O, Erichsen-Andersson A. Fast-track program of elective joint replacement in hip and knee – Patients’ experiences of the clinical pathway and care process. J Orthop Surg Res. 2019;14(186):1–8. doi: 10.1186/s13018-019-1232-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization . WHO Guideline on self-care interventions for health and well-being. Geneva (Switzerland): World Health Organization; 2021.
    1. Castro EM, Van Regenmortel T, Vanhaecht K, Sermeus W, Van Heckef A. Patient empowerment, patient participation and patient-centeredness in hospital care: A concept analysis based on a literature review. Patient Educ Couns. 2016;99(12):1923–1939. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2016.07.026. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ekman I, Swedberg K, Taft C, Lindseth A, Norberg A, Brink E, Carlsson J, Dahlin-Ivanoff S, Johansson I-L, Kjellgren K, et al. Person-centered care— Ready for prime time. Eur J Cardiovasc. 2011;10:248–251. doi: 10.1016/j.ejcnurse.2011.06.008. - DOI - PubMed