Posted on 1/31/2023
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – WVU Medication orthopaedic hand, elbow, and shoulder surgeon Shafic Sraj, M.D., presents sufferers present process office-based surgical procedure the comfort of digital post-operative care via MyWVUChart, WVU Medication’s on-line affected person portal.
Dr. Sraj noticed adopting an app-based follow-up course of because the pure development to the wide-awake native anesthesia no tourniquet, WALANT, procedures carried out within the workplace setting. Sufferers who’re comfy utilizing the app are provided the choice to make the most of its safe messaging function for his or her observe up after routine, low-risk procedures.
“We developed an ordinary, automated questionnaire with all the knowledge that will be requested in a standard workplace go to,” Dr. Sraj mentioned. “It permits sufferers to offer detailed and significant responses and pictures in order that I can assess how they’re therapeutic.”
The questionnaire was a collaborative effort between Sraj and Lauren Latsnic, coordinator of telemedicine, and permits asynchronous two-way communication. 
“We have been in a position to create a software particularly for his wants,” Latsnic defined.
“Sufferers wouldn’t have to be on the mercy of their connection anymore, which could be unreliable in some areas. As an alternative of getting a telemedicine appointment and wait to see me on their machine, they only reply to the automated questionnaire, connect a photograph of the incision, and ship it away,” Dr. Sraj defined. “The pictures permit me to examine if issues are progressing usually or if there’s something that must be addressed.”
Having a digital possibility for post-operative care could be greater than a matter of comfort. Sraj’s affected person Alyssa Area mentioned realizing she wouldn’t have to make extra schedule modifications to accommodate post-operative appointments motivated her to lastly schedule her surgical procedure.
As an working room technician at WVU Medication J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital and matriarch inside her household, she didn’t need schedule modifications to negatively impression these round her. Nevertheless, delaying remedy not solely elevated her ache but additionally the severity of damage to her finger.
“I waited till I simply couldn’t take the ache anymore,” she mentioned.
Nancy McKinley, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon who had no prior skilled with WALANT process or digital post-operative care, cited schedule disruption and warning for this method to care as trigger for delayed remedy.
“I had considerations that issues might ‘slip via the cracks’ with the reliance on MyChart for follow-up care,” she mentioned. “Ultimately, I had completely no qualms.”
Her expertise was handy, and she or he additionally discovered the method to be unexpectedly empowering.
“I felt it strengthened the concept of me as a taking part member of the healthcare crew,” Dr. McKinley mentioned. “I really felt as if communication was enhanced and facilitated.”
Sufferers are inspired and enabled to speak considerations all through the complete course of; one thing that Area wanted to do when she popped a sew on the incision web site. She was impressed with the speedy response from Sraj and his employees.
“They acquired me in that very same day,” she mentioned.
Finally, Sraj decided that the wound was not compromised, and Area’s restoration continued with out additional incident.
Area and McKinley each had surgical procedures to deal with set off finger, however observe up utilizing the MyWVUChart app could be an possibility for different procedures which might be routinely accomplished within the workplace, together with carpal tunnel launch, removing of ganglion cysts and different plenty, and launch of tendinitis. Surgical procedures that require x-rays, splinting, and remedy throughout their observe ups nonetheless require in clinic visits.
“Switching to asynchronous visits has been an enormous success and helped many sufferers keep away from the burden or spending hours on the highway for easy wound checks,” Sraj mentioned.
For extra details about hand and higher extremity providers, please go to https://wvumedicine.org/ruby-memorial-hospital/providers/wvu-medicine-orthopaedics/hand-and-upper-extremity/.