A MOBILE phone app for patients about to undergo orthopaedic surgical procedures has been launched by NHS Fife.

Implemented in partnership with the health board and Buddy Healthcare, the new Elsie Pre-Op App enables patients to communicate directly with their pre-assessment team and enables pre-operative questionnaires to be carried out at home.

Anyone scheduled for an orthopaedic procedure will receive a text message to their mobile phone which provides them with relevant information and a link to download the app.

Patients can also nominate someone else, like a close friend or family member, to complete the questionnaire on the app for them.

In some cases, patients will be able to carry out their pre-operative assessments via the app and may not have to attend hospital until the date of the surgery, avoiding the need for multiple hospital visits.

For those who do need to attend in-person, appointment times will be shorter.

In addition to providing regular updates and reminders about things like fasting and medications, patients can also use the app to send and receive messages from pre-assessment team ahead of their procedures.

Those who don’t have access to a mobile phone or who are less confident using such technology, can still carry out their pre-operative questionnaire over the phone or in-person.

Medical Director, Dr Christopher McKenna, said the app is designed to ease the stress for patients by reducing hospital visits and enabling better communication with clinical teams ahead of their procedure.

He explained: “The app will provide patients with a range of useful information in the days and weeks leading up to their procedures and will provide important prompts about medications and upcoming appointments.

"The use of the app also allows our processes to be more streamlined. We will receive information on patients earlier allowing for better communication between clinical teams.

“Furthermore, as more pre-surgical questionnaires can be carried out at home, where an individual is unable to go ahead with surgery their slot may be able to be offered to another patient at short notice, meaning fewer surgical appointments will be left unfilled.”