Are Technology-Driven Mobile Phone Applications (Apps) the New Currency for Digital Stent Registries and Patient Communication: Prospective Outcomes Using Urostentz App

B M Zeeshan Hameed; Milap J Shah; Nithesh Naik; Mohan Amaresh; Padmaraj Hegde; Rahil Hussein Beary; Suraj Jayadeva; Bhaskar K Somani

doi:10.1155/2021/6612371

Are Technology-Driven Mobile Phone Applications (Apps) the New Currency for Digital Stent Registries and Patient Communication: Prospective Outcomes Using Urostentz App

Adv Urol. 2021 Jan 6:2021:6612371. doi: 10.1155/2021/6612371. eCollection 2021.

Authors

B M Zeeshan Hameed^{1

2}, Milap J Shah¹, Nithesh Naik³, Mohan Amaresh¹, Padmaraj Hegde¹, Rahil Hussein Beary⁴, Suraj Jayadeva¹, Bhaskar K Somani⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Urology, Kasturba Medical College and Hospital, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
² Chief of Innovation Centre, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
³ Faculty of Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
⁴ Kasturba Medical College, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
⁵ Department of Urology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust, Southampton, UK.

Abstract

Background: Forgotten ureteral stents (FUS) and stent-related symptoms (SRS) lead to increased postprocedural emergency department visits and add to the psychological and financial burden of the patients.

Purpose: To review the usage and benefits of ureteral stent tracking and symptom monitoring through a single smartphone-based application (App) platform with 2-way clinician-patient communication. This study also compared the features with other smartphone apps used for stent tracking.

Materials and methods: 100 patients were included in this single-center prospective study conducted between September 2019 and December 2019. Patients who had metallic or long-term indwelling stents, noncomprehensible patients, and those not willing to share their data were excluded from the study.

Results: Of 100 patients, 92 downloaded the Urostentz application, and 72 (78.2%) patients answered the pictorial symptom questionnaire. Symptom score analysis suggested that 62 patients (86.1%) had stent-related symptoms of which 3 required readmission and underwent early stent removal. The mean stent duration was 17.2 + 3.5 days (range: 11-23 days), with 69% of patients having their stent removed on the scheduled date and 25% of patients requesting a change of their appointment via the App.

Conclusion: In this study, there was no case of FUS encountered. The "Urostentz" App is a freely available patient safety stent tracking application that provides a secure and simplified interface, which can significantly reduce the incidence of FUS and provide digital remote assistance in the management of stent-related symptoms.