Remote Perioperative Telemonitoring Beneficial After Cancer Surgery

THURSDAY, Sept. 25, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Remote perioperative telemonitoring (RPM) improves postoperative functional recovery and symptoms among patients undergoing surgery for cancer, according to a study published online Aug. 28 in npj Digital Medicine.

Virginia Sun, Ph.D., R.N., from City of Hope in Duarte, California, and colleagues compared RPM care versus surgeon-only care in 293 patients with gastrointestinal, genitourinary, or gynecological cancers. Patients in the RPM group wore a wristband accelerometer and reported symptoms via a mobile application before surgery and at days 7, 14, 30, 60, and 90 postdischarge; when data deviated from predetermined thresholds, triage nurses telephoned patients. Participants in the surgeon-only care group used the device and app; when threshold deviations occurred, they received a standard institutional message.

The researchers found that participants in the RPM care arm had a 6 percent greater functional recovery rate. At day 90, change in symptom severity scores was statistically significant, favoring the RPM arm, as was symptom interference with daily activities at days 14 and 90. Fewer major postoperative complications were experienced in the RPM arm.

“The first two weeks after discharge are critical,” coauthor Tracy E. Crane, Ph.D., from the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a statement. “RPM care helps bridge the gap between hospital and home, catching issues early and supporting recovery.”

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