Using Mobile Apps to Keep Patients Engaged Before and After Surgery

In surgery, what happens before and after the operation can be just as important as the procedure itself.

When patients are confused, unprepared, or unreachable, complications increase, cancellations spike, and care teams scramble to fill gaps. The consequences? Lost revenue. Higher readmissions. Poor outcomes.

The solution? Put the power of preparation in the patient’s pocket.

That’s exactly what Soteria’s mobile platform does—by giving patients clear, timely, and personalized tools that support them from surgical planning through recovery.

Why Patient Engagement Is Non-Negotiable

Studies show that patients who are actively engaged in their care experience:

• Better adherence to pre-op and post-op protocols

• Fewer complications and readmissions

• Higher satisfaction scores

• Reduced length of stay

Yet most hospitals still rely on a maze of phone calls, voicemails, and printed instructions, methods that are easy to overlook, forget, or misinterpret.

In today’s digital world, that’s not just inefficient—it’s risky.

“Patients forget up to 80% of what their clinician tells them during a visit—and nearly half of what they remember is remembered incorrectly.”— Kessels, R. Neuropsychology Review, 2003 [1]

Soteria’s Mobile Experience: More Than a Reminder App

Soteria offers a digital solution that delivers clinical precision in a user-friendly format. It helps patients:

✅ Track preoperative tasks (like stopping medications, fasting, or doing prehab)

✅ Receive timely reminders (for check-ins, forms, nutrition, etc.)

✅ Complete intake and optimization questionnaires from home

✅ Learn from pathways and videos designed to reduce risk

✅ Ask questions and message providers securely

By turning the entire perioperative pathway into a clickable, personalized journey, hospitals reduce the need for repeated calls—and patients stay on track without guesswork.

Built for Clinicians, Too

While patients use the app to stay engaged, the care team gets real-time insight into who’s falling behind, which tasks are incomplete, and how prepared each patient is before surgery. This helps hospitals:

• Flag risks before they become complications

• Prioritize outreach more effectively

• Reduce day-of-surgery cancellations

• Improve coordination without increasing staff workload

It’s a win for efficiency, safety, and value-based care goals.

📈 The Results Speak for Themselves

• Hospitals using patient-facing surgical apps see up to 90% fewer same-day cancellations [2]

• Digital instructions reduce post-op complication rates and 30-day readmissions significantly [3]

• Mobile reminders improve medication adherence and protocol compliance by over 60% [4]

Don’t Let Patients Fall Through the Cracks

In 2025, patients expect digital convenience—but hospitals need clinical precision. Soteria’s mobile platform delivers both.

It’s not just about engagement, it’s about outcomes.

References

1. Kessels RPC. Patients’ Memory for Medical Information. Neuropsychol Rev. 2003;13(2):43–55.

2. Scott MJ, et al. Reducing Surgical Cancellations Through Preoperative Digital Optimization. Br J Surg. 2020;107(1):5-10.

3. Ban KA, et al. Surgical Site Infection Guidelines, 2016 Update. J Am Coll Surg. 2017;224(1):59–74.

4. McDonald HP, Garg AX, Haynes RB. Interventions to Enhance Patient Adherence to Medication Prescriptions: Scientific Review. JAMA. 2002;288(22):2868-2879.