Key Takeaways:
SAN DIEGO — Mobile app-based monitoring may help address the vulnerable days and weeks after surgery when recovery shifts from the hospital to home with little direct supervision. Patients using mobile apps had lower risk of serious complications, emergency room visits and readmissions after surgery, but the benefits depended on physician or other clinician involvement, rather than the technology alone, according to research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY ® 2026 annual meeting .
“Just using an app may not make recovery safer,” said Mouad Elganga, B.S., lead author of the study and medical student at Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto. “The biggest benefit occurs when a clinician is actually reviewing what patients send and can act on it. Patients should ask: ‘Who is looking at this information, how quickly will they respond and what happens if something looks wrong?’”
The study authors analyzed 38 studies involving 7,507 patients to determine whether mobile app-based home monitoring improved recovery after surgery. The programs varied, but most asked patients to complete daily check-ins on a smartphone or web portal, reporting symptoms such as pain, fever, nausea and wound appearance. Some programs also used wearable fitness trackers or Bluetooth-enabled devices such as blood pressure cuffs, thermometers or pulse oximeters, which measure blood oxygen levels.
The authors found patients in mobile app-based monitoring programs had a:
Patients also reported less pain and anxiety, better physical function, improved quality of life and greater satisfaction.
However, total number of complications did not significantly decline. This suggests that mobile app-based monitoring may not prevent every postoperative problem, but may help catch concerning symptoms before they escalate into major postoperative complications requiring emergency or intensive care, readmission, a procedure or reoperation. Physician or other clinician involvement appeared to be key. Readmissions were lower only when a surgical team member or nurse reviewed patient-submitted information and could act on it, while programs without clinician review showed no reduction.
The findings suggest health systems considering mobile app-based monitoring should focus not only on the technology, but also on ensuring clinicians review patient-submitted information and respond promptly to concerning symptoms. Patients should ask who is monitoring the information they submit and what the protocol is if something looks wrong. When a clinician is reviewing the information, using the mobile app consistently may help the care team identify problems before they become emergencies.
*** ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026 news releases may contain updated data that was not originally available at the time abstracts were submitted.
THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ANESTHESIOLOGISTS
Founded in 1905, the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is an educational, research and scientific society with more than 62,000 members organized to advance the medical practice of anesthesiology and secure its future. ASA is committed to ensuring anesthesiologists evaluate and supervise the medical care of all patients before, during and after surgery. ASA members also lead the care of critically ill patients in intensive care units, as well as treat pain in both acute and chronic settings.
For more information on the field of anesthesiology, visit the American Society of Anesthesiologists online at asahq.org . To learn more about how anesthesiologists help ensure patient safety, visit asahq.org/madeforthismoment . Join the #ANES26 conversation on social media. Follow ASA on Facebook , X , Instagram , Bluesky and LinkedIn .
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