The Surgery Connect app first introduced at the Children’s Hospital Specialty Care Center is now available for use by parents whose children are seen at St. Louis Children’s Hospital’s Ambulatory Procedure Center and Same-Day Surgery Center. The app is used to convey to parents vital information they need prior to, during and after their child’s surgery or procedure.
Although the main components of the Surgery Connect app remain the same as the original, nursing staff members from both the Ambulatory Procedure Center and Same-Day Surgery added information about surgeries and procedures offered only at the hospital because of patients’ acuity or their need for hospitalization after surgery. The revised app was rolled out in late 2018 and is receiving positive feedback from parents.
Parents are offered access to the Surgery Connect app when nurses call to conduct a pre-surgery/procedure medical screening If they express interest, parents are instructed to download the free iPhone and Android app and are provided with a code consisting of their child’s case number and the last four digits of their primary phone number.
Once connected to the app, parents receive important reminders such as the time of their child’s surgery or procedure, when they are to arrive at the hospital, and NPO prompts. They may access descriptions of the surgery or procedure, what they should do in preparation, what to expect upon arrival and the amenities available while waiting. The app also allows nurses to provide updates to parents during their child’s surgery or procedure. Parents then receive a text letting them know they can come to recovery and talk with their child’s physician.
Going forward, nursing staff members will continue updating the app to include information about additional surgeries and procedures in order to make it useful for an even greater number of parents and caregivers.
For more information, call Children’s Direct at 800.678.HELP (4357).
