Enhancing patient satisfaction in postoperative drain management: A comparison of traditional and digital recording methods.

Abstract

Given the potential for fluid collections following posterior spinal surgery, surgeons place drains to decrease the likelihood of associated complications, which require timely removal to prevent infection. Removal timing is based on documented decreases in daily drain output; however, conventional paper sheets have not yielded reliable patient recording adherence. All patients who underwent plastic surgery closure by the three senior authors after posterior spinal surgery for scoliosis correction from April 2023 to August 2024 were randomized. Their drain output was recorded via a traditional paper sheet or specialized smartphone application. The final cohort included 45 (49.5%) patients using the application and 46 (50.5%) using the traditional paper sheet. Demographics and operative characteristics were similar between the groups. There was no statistical difference between the groups when comparing the primary outcome assessing the number of patients who brought their output record to the first postoperative follow-up appointment (application group at 91% vs paper group at 87%; p=0.53). Other drain indwelling and output recording variables were similar across both groups. The response rates for the patient satisfaction survey were similar at 62% for the application group and 65% for the paper group. On the single Likert scale satisfaction question, responses indicated significantly higher satisfaction with the application than paper (p<0.05). These findings indicate that encouraging patients to record their drain output using an electronic tool may result in greater patient satisfaction with the drain management process, but clinical differences in patient adherence were not observed.