Outpatient Follow-up after Regional Anesthesia for Orthopedic Surgery - Should We Use Apps? Current Best Practices and Future Trends

Purpose of the Review: Over the past decades there has been a rise in the use of regional anesthesia for orthopedic surgery leading to associated challenges in providing adequate postoperative follow up that patients deserve. This review looks at emerging technologies being deployed by various centers to improve and automate the follow up process. Recent Findings: We delve into how multiple authors use novel technologies ranging from automated text messaging to fully fledged cell phone applications with the goal of improving patient follow up and provider workload. Benefits highlighted include higher response rates, potential time savings for healthcare providers, and enhance overall surgical outcomes in regional anesthesia practice. Summary: While automated follow up technology is still in its infancy, these initial tools show promise with improved follow up rates and the ability to decrease provider workload.