Remote after-care using smartphones: A feasibility study of monitoring children's pain with automated SMS messaging

Monitoring children's recovery postoperatively is important for routine care, research, and quality improvement. Although telephone follow-up is common, it is also time-consuming and intrusive for families. Using SMS messaging to communicate with families regarding their child's recovery has the potential to address these concerns. While a previous survey at our institution indicated that parents were willing to communicate with the hospital by SMS, data on response rates for SMS-based postoperative data collection is limited, particularly in pediatric populations.

Citation:
Drake-Brockman TFE, Smallbone HE, Sommerfield D, von Ungern-Sternberg BS. Remote after-care using smartphones: A feasibility study of monitoring children's pain with automated SMS messaging. Paediatr Anaesth. 2022;32(8):954-60.

Keywords:
Anesthesia; mobile devices; pain; pain measurement; pediatrics

Abstract:
Monitoring children's recovery postoperatively is important for routine care, research, and quality improvement. Although telephone follow-up is common, it is also time-consuming and intrusive for families. Using SMS messaging to communicate with families regarding their child's recovery has the potential to address these concerns. While a previous survey at our institution indicated that parents were willing to communicate with the hospital by SMS, data on response rates for SMS-based postoperative data collection is limited, particularly in pediatric populations.