ABSTRACT
AIM AND OBJECTIVE: To explore patient experiences, perceived benefits and suggestions of an eHealth program for pre- and post-operative education for total hip arthroplasty. BACKGROUND: eHealth programs for surgical patients can facilitate the delivery of information, provide individualised rehabilitation plans and enable communication with health professionals to promote overall patient recovery. DESIGN: A qualitative descriptive study was conducted following the COREQ guidelines. A convenience sample of nine patients who had total hip arthroplasty and used the My Hip Journey eHealth program were recruited and participated in individual semi-structured telephone interviews. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: The participant group were aged between 53 and 70 years. The results are described in three overarching themes and sub-themes: (1) Supported surgical journey-how the My Hip Journey eHealth program supported them in their preparation and recovery from their surgery, and how the program provided information and encouraged engagement; (2) Motivated recovery-how patients found the program motivational, facilitated their self-management and enabled communication with the healthcare team if they had any concern; and (3) Functionality-how the program related to ease of use, its interactivity with the patient and suggestions for future use. CONCLUSIONS: The patients reported that using the eHealth program for pre- and post-operative education was helpful to their overall surgical experience and recovery. It was found to engage patients in their care, enabled self-management, encouraged communication with health professionals and motivated them with their recovery. These findings identify the potential for eHealth programs to support patients in the preparation and post-operative stages, and in their post-discharge self-care for other surgical and orthopaedic journeys. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Patient experiences of eHealth education can inform nurses of the benefits of eHealth and the development of future eHealth education programs.
