The role of digital technology in surgical home hospital programs.
expert_opinion · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 36750629.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41746-023-00750-w and PMC identifier 9904247.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
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.