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Engaging and Monitoring Patients Pre- and Post-Surgery
The nature of surgical care continues to evolve rapidly, driven by the convergence of digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and advanced analytics. Today’s healthcare ecosystems demand digitally enabled care pathways that are intelligent, connected, and adaptive—responding dynamically to clinical, operational, and patient-experience needs. A digital companion, purpose-built for surgical patients’ pre- and post-operative journeys, is now an imperative for providers, payers, and medtech leaders aiming to achieve competitive differentiation, clinical excellence, and sustainable business value.
Vision
The vision is to establish a robust ecosystem of digital solutions that seamlessly integrates all stakeholders—patients, clinicians, and administrators—across surgical workflows, harnesses edge computing, advanced analytics, and AI to personalize care, increase OR efficiency, and improve patient outcomes, and drives transformation in both inpatient and ambulatory surgery environments by offering unified, data-powered experiences that elevate the standard of care and market competitiveness.
Current industry context and real-world examples
Since 2020, digital transformation in surgery has accelerated. AI-powered analytics now optimize case scheduling, predict patient risk, and support intraoperative decision-making. Industry leaders underscore the strategic importance of digital transformation. According to Michael Schrage of MIT Sloan, “A good business leader understands the market but must also challenge themselves to see how technology will change their business.” Virtual care and telehealth platforms, for example, have become standard for perioperative education, monitoring, and tele-rehabilitation.
Patient engagement platforms have shifted patients from passive recipients to active participants as “SeamlessMD allows us to extend our care into patients’ homes,” says Kristina Cruess, director, Quinte Health surgical program. “It builds confidence, enhances safety, and keeps patients engaged in their recovery in a significant way.” Her associate, Colin Catt of Quinte Health adds, “Remote care monitoring keeps patients where they’re most comfortable—at home. It’s not just about convenience. It’s about empowering patients, improving outcomes, and rethinking how we deliver care.”
Applied Surgical Digital Companion
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre
At Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, a 75-year-old patient described the critical impact of SeamlessMD, a digital companion platform. Through daily app log-ins, personalized education, tele-consults, and real-time progress tracking, the patient achieved postoperative mobility targets four to six weeks ahead of norms. Nurse and surgeon access was facilitated via secure photo-sharing and messaging. “The result of this new way of doing things was that I achieved mobility (bend and extension) targets four to six weeks ahead of normal!” the patient reported. After his experience, he reached out to provincial leadership to advocate for broader adoption of digital surgical protocols.
Quinte Health (Ontario)
SeamlessMD has transformed perioperative care at Quinte Health for six major surgeries (hip/knee arthroplasty, hysterectomy, colorectal, mastectomy, ureteroscopy). “It reassures patients to know there’s a real person on the other end ready to help. The ability to share photos and messages creates a connection that makes patients feel truly supported. It’s empowering,” says interim pre-surgical clinics manager Heather Boomhour. The app provides pre-surgical education, coordinates remote consultations, and alerts nurses if a patient’s symptoms deviate from the expected recovery. Post-operatively, real-time home health checks and photo uploads expedite intervention for complications, reducing preventable ER visits, cutting length of stay by nearly a day and readmissions by half.
Strategic approach and value proposition
Our approach prioritizes several pillars. First, standardization focuses on developing reference digital pathways and assets for all major surgery types, co-designed with leading academic and community centers. Second, AI-driven personalization leverages predictive models and real-world data to anticipate complications, suggest interventions, and tailor education per patient risk profile. Third, intelligent workflow integration aims to smoothly connect EHRs, PACS, ERP, and third-party digital health assets for a frictionless experience. Fourth, adaptive patient engagement utilizes multimodal content—such as video, AR/VR modules, digital checklists, and reminders—for education, adherence, and reduced attrition. Finally, operational excellence centers on automating block utilization, case prioritization, and performance surveillance through AI/ML, delivering transparency, efficiency, and actionable insights.
Key learnings and processes
Key learnings highlight the importance of needs assessment and stakeholder involvement, interoperability, and training. Needs assessment and stakeholder involvement begin with thorough analysis of workflow, IT compatibility, and patient demographics. Engaging end-users—surgeons, nursing staff, and patients—from the start is critical to selecting and tailoring technologies. Interoperability challenges often arise because existing legacy systems may resist integration. Leveraging APIs and adhering to interoperability standards such as HL7 and FHIR helps bridge the gap, minimize data silos, and enhance cross-system communication, while user training and workflow adjustment remain ongoing needs. Patient and staff training is equally important: comprehensive onboarding and continual support address skill gaps and ease resistance to change. In Manitoba, proactive nurse support via SeamlessMD fostered patient empowerment and facilitated rapid recovery, while at Quinte Health, nurse educators addressed technical issues and helped patients navigate the digital learning curve.
Obtaining internal and external support
Obtaining support requires leadership buy-in, multidisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to pilot programs with continuous improvement. Leadership buy-in is essential, as executive sponsorship sustains momentum. “Leadership is the key. Data literacy projects shouldn’t be launched without executives being part of the program,” notes Piyanka Jain, Aryng CEO. Multidisciplinary collaboration brings together clinicians, IT, administration, and vendor partners; external advisors and experienced technology providers (e.g., IBM, NextGen Invent) are invaluable for system design, change management, and evidence generation. Pilot programs and continuous improvement involve launching collaborative pilots, collecting outcome data, and iterating based on user feedback to ensure long-term adoption and positive ROI.
Hurdles overcome and learning curve
Implementing digital companions involves overcoming several hurdles, including technical skill gaps, workflow disruption, and data privacy concerns. Upwards of 63% of survey respondents cited inadequate training as a leading challenge in digital health implementations, so investing in ongoing education for healthcare staff and digital literacy programs for patients helps bridge these gaps. Early phases often encounter resistance due to perceived workflow complexity; detailed mapping and phased rollout, combined with robust IT and clinician support, facilitate a smooth transition. Data privacy and regulatory compliance are paramount, with HIPAA/GDPR adherence and blockchain-enabled auditability serving as non-negotiable priorities for stakeholder trust.
Success metrics post-implementation
Post-implementation success is measured across clinical, experiential, and operational dimensions. Patients using SeamlessMD had hospital stays nearly a day shorter and halved the risk of readmission post-op. In addition, 96% of patients reported high confidence pre-op when educated by a digital companion. Surgical patients using digital companions routinely achieve functional milestones, such as mobility targets, weeks ahead of traditional recovery norms. Nurses and surgeons benefit from streamlined communication, rapid photo-based wound assessment, and fewer avoidable ER visits, which together enhance staff productivity and reduce unnecessary utilization.
Conclusion
Digital companions are at the forefront of the future of surgical care, enabling proactive, patient-centered, and data-driven journeys. Organizations embracing these technologies are set to lead in patient outcomes, operational excellence, and market growth in the digital healthcare ecosystem of 2025 and beyond.
The views expressed in the article are those of the authors and not of the organizations they represent.
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