In the fast-evolving realm of contemporary healthcare, surgical techniques have attained unprecedented levels of advancement, leading to substantial enhancements in patient care.
However, the journey towards complete recovery extends far beyond the operating room, emphasising the importance of effective postoperative care.
In this critical phase, patient partnerships play a pivotal role, ensuring a holistic and personalised approach to recovery.
The Crucial Role Of Patient Partnerships
Patient partnerships represent a transformative shift in healthcare dynamics. The collaboration between medical professionals and patients is founded on empowerment through education, enhanced adherence to care plans, personalised recovery strategies, early recognition of complications and emotional support.
Understanding the procedure, recovery trajectory and potential complications empowers patients to participate actively in their healing journey.
This collaboration builds mutual trust, leading to better adherence to prescribed regimens and improved outcomes. This trust is critical for maintaining access to healthcare services globally. Patients outnumber clinicians, and capacity within hospital providers can never fully match unfettered patient demand.
This demand is primarily managed through carefully aligning preventative care within hospital care. Addressing issues outside hospitals and in the community is just as important as care within hospitals.
Personalised recovery plans tailored to individual needs and early recognition of potential complications contribute to a more effective and efficient recovery process.
In this context, initiatives like Post Op have emerged as transformative tools bridging the gap between healthcare providers and patients during the postoperative phase. Patient engagement means patient-led communications rather than clinician-initiated care, as is the norm today.
The healthcare start-up was founded by Chindu Kabir, Faizal Rayan, an orthopaedic surgeon passionate about patient-centred care, and leading design guru Pier Bardoni.
This innovative platform leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance communication and engagement between healthcare providers and patients during the crucial postoperative phase.
The platform’s multifaceted approach empowers patients and standardises care globally.
Its aim is to revolutionise the postoperative experience by leveraging technology to enhance patient-initiated communication, understanding and engagement between doctors and patients.
Chindu’s journey into the realm of patient-focused healthcare began with personal experiences and observations during his medical career. His early exposure to healthcare in India and experiences in Kuwait and the UK shaped his perspective on the importance of patient experience in the recovery journey.
During his training in elite hospital systems in Chennai, India, and the UK, Faizal has long been a proponent of value-based care.
Pier Bardoni teamed up with both surgeons to provide a world-class user experience honed through his own expertise. He is a hugely respected designer who is featured in Forbes magazine as being on the vanguard of user experience design in Europe.
Bridging the communication gap - Post Op is a vital bridge between doctors and patients, facilitating postoperative care through personalised guidance and support.
The platform enhances communication by providing a direct channel for doctors to share tailored post-operative instructions, recovery plans and educational materials with their patients. It also encourages patient-initiated communication in the crucial first 30 days after surgery, as advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This fosters clarity, ensuring patients have comprehensive guidance to follow. The platform empowers patients with knowledge about their procedures, potential complications and step-by-step recovery guidance.
This knowledge actively involves patients in their recovery journey, improving adherence to post-operative protocols and contributing to better outcomes.
Chindu explains: ‘We’re redefining surgical care, giving patients the ultimate recovery experience. Clinical teams have greater insights through AI-empowered communication.
‘Surgical follow-up care is seldom standardised – sometimes even for the same procedure. If we can focus on patient follow-up in the immediate post-operative period, we can drive up satisfaction rates and genuinely reduce complications and surgical site infections. Our patient-facing interactive platform is designed to avoid unnecessary admissions and emergency department attendance.’
The key features of Post Op are manifold. They include:
- Personalised care plans: Recognising the uniqueness of each patient, Post Op allows doctors to create personalised care plans based on individual needs. This customisation ensures that post-operative instructions and follow-up care are tailored to specific concerns, promoting a more effective recovery.
- Continuity of care: Post Op facilitates ongoing communication between doctor visits, enabling patients to access information and support from their care team anytime. This continuity of care reduces uncertainty and anxiety during recovery, contributing to smoother recoveries and better outcomes.
- Data-driven insights: The platform enables doctors to track patient progress remotely, allowing for early identification of issues or complications. By monitoring patient-reported data, doctors can intervene promptly, ensuring a proactive approach to care.
The founder’s vision for Post Op aligns with a patient-centric approach, where patients are recognised as equal partners in their recovery journey.
The platform addresses the challenges of the postoperative phase and contributes to rebuilding trust between patients and healthcare providers.
It has been successfully rolled out to the NHS in the UK, with plans for global expansion. Focused on the top five surgical specialties, the platform aims to standardise postoperative care globally, emphasising the importance of follow-up in the first 30 days after surgery.
The founders acknowledge the challenges in standardising healthcare globally and emphasises the need for a predictive and proactive approach.
Post Op’s focus on patient experience and engagement aligns intending to create a fair and patient-centred healthcare system.
The platform leverages artificial intelligence to enhance postoperative care and communication between healthcare providers and patients.
However, the Post Op team recognises the need for continuous improvement, addressing biases in AI models, and adapting to different healthcare settings and technological infrastructures.
Post Op places a strong emphasis on data security and privacy. The platform ensures the highest patient information protection standards when operating in highly regulated environments, such as the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and NHS compliance.
Looking ahead, Post Op is fully supportive of the continued evolution of AI-driven platforms and their safe implementation in existing healthcare pathways.
The CEO, Chindu Kabir, explained: ‘There is a need to focus on the patient’s perception and experience and challenge the current metrics and paradigms in healthcare. The platform’s success lies in its ability to adapt, learn from patient behaviour and collaborate with healthcare professionals to drive innovation.’
In the ever-evolving healthcare landscape, patient partnerships and innovative platforms like Post Op are crucial in shaping the future of postoperative care.
The ability to leverage technology for effective communication underscores the potential for a more collaborative, empowering and patient-centric healthcare system globally.
Book a demo here
