Qualitative Analyses
postoperative acute pain, anxiety, ’
Three main themes were identified from the perspective of providers regarding the use of the platform for postoperative acute pain management: (1) potential facilitators and barriers to adoption, (2) patient acceptance and hesitancy, and (3) future use of the platform (It seemed like we were a lot more accessible. It would lower their anxiety or if they were scared that something was going on, they were able to get answers a lot quicker. I think most of the patients liked it from what I remember hearing.The chat feature was particularly helpful in facilitating direct communication between dentists and patients, resulting in improved patient care and stronger patient-dentist relationships. Dentists found the alert system useful for identifying patients with specific symptoms and reducing unnecessary postoperative appointments. However, they also reported feeling a lack of personal touch through mHealth SMS text messaging. Furthermore, they thought it represented an additional burden on their workload and an invasion of their time due to receiving messages and alerts after work hours.APatients’ reluctance to use the app was mostly due to technological challenges, data privacy concerns, and a preference for phone calls over texting. Dentists suggested integrating additional features into the app, such as an in-system camera for patients to upload pictures and videos of the procedural site, integration with the EHR system, and including postoperative expectations and instructions in the platform for the patient to access after the procedure.