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Review
. 2023 Feb 7;6(1):22.
doi: 10.1038/s41746-023-00750-w.

The role of digital technology in surgical home hospital programs

Kavya Pathak #  1 , Jayson S Marwaha #  2   3 , Thomas C Tsai  4
Affiliations
Review

The role of digital technology in surgical home hospital programs

Kavya Pathak et al. NPJ Digit Med. .

Abstract

Home hospital (HH), a care delivery model of providing hospital-grade care to patients in their homes, has become increasingly common in medical settings, though surgical uptake has been limited. HH programs have been shown to be safe and effective in a variety of medical contexts, with increased usage of this care pathway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Though surgical patients have unique clinical considerations, surgical Home Hospital (SHH) programs may have important benefits for this population. Various technologies exist for the delivery of hospital care in the home, such as clinical risk prediction models and remote patient monitoring platforms. Here, we use institutional experiences at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) to discuss the utility of technology in enabling SHH programs and highlight current limitations. Additionally, we comment on the importance of data interoperability, access for all patients, and clinical workflow design in successfully implementing SHH programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. Data flow in a surgical home hospital (SHH) program.
Technologies like remote patient monitoring and risk prediction models play roles in data flow.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Resources for surgical home hospital care.
Multiple types of resources are needed when establishing a surgical home hospital program, including personnel and materials.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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