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Brief technical report
Automated text messaging follow-up for patients who receive peripheral nerve blocks
  1. Daniel Gessner1,
  2. Oluwatobi O Hunter2,
  3. Alex Kou1,2 and
  4. Edward R Mariano1,2
  1. 1 Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
  2. 2 Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care Service, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Daniel Gessner, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; dangessner{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Background Routine follow-up of patients who receive a nerve block for ambulatory surgery typically consists of a phone call from a regional anesthesia clinician. This process can be burdensome for both patients and clinicians but is necessary to assess the efficacy and complication rate of nerve blocks.

Methods We present our experience developing an automated system for completing follow-up via short message service text messaging and our preliminary results using it at three clinical sites. The system is built on REDCap, a secure online research data capture platform developed by Vanderbilt University and currently available worldwide.

Results Our automated system queried patients who received a variety of nerve block techniques, assessed patient-reported nerve block duration, and surveyed patients for potential complications. Patient response rate to text messaging averaged 91% (higher than our rates of daily phone contact reported previously) for patients aged 18 to 90 years.

Conclusions Given the wide availability of REDCap, we believe this automated text messaging system can be implemented in a variety of health systems at low cost with minimal technical expertise and will improve both the consistency of patient follow-up and the service efficiency of regional anesthesia practices.

  • technology
  • ambulatory care
  • nerve block
  • outcome assessment
  • health care
  • pain
  • postoperative

https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2021-102472

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @dangessner, @EMARIANOMD

    • Presented at Portions of this work were accepted to the 45th Annual Regional Anesthesia and Acute Pain Medicine Meeting 2020 (meeting canceled due to COVID-19) and presented at the virtual ASRA Worldwide 19th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting, November 20, 2020.

    • Contributors DG helped design the study, collected data, created the figures, drafted and revised the initial manuscript, reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript. OOH helped design the study, collected data, drafted and revised the initial manuscript, reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript. AK analyzed data, drafted and revised the initial manuscript, reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript. ERM helped design the study, drafted and revised the initial manuscript, reviewed and approved the submitted manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Disclaimer The contents do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Government.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.