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February 5, 2026
Since 2017, University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Health System has offered ɫֱ to its patients undergoing a variety of surgeries, including for Colorectal Surgery (patients needing an ileostomy included). Recently, the team published a study revealing “” The study, published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery, discusses the benefits of adopting Patient Engagement Technology (PET) for patients undergoing colorectal surgery – particularly patients requiring the construction of a new ileostomy. Ileostomy patients are more susceptible to a longer hospital Length of Stay (LOS) and experience more readmissions compared to other colorectal procedures, with readmission rates as high as 29%.
PET platforms like ɫֱ provide patients with comprehensive education before and after surgery. As such, researchers hypothesized that this might be a key contributing factor to better patient self-management and perioperative care, leading to decreased LOS without increasing readmissions. Here are the key results from the study:
- Patients undergoing Colorectal Surgery with an ileostomy were categorized into 3 groups:
a. Patients who did not use PET
b. Patients who used PET
c. Patients who had surgery prior to the hospital implementing PET - Median LOS was 2 days lower for patients who used PET (ɫֱ) with no significant difference in readmission or ED visits;
- Being in the PET group was an independent predictor of shorter LOS;
- Predictors of longer LOS included: neoplasm diagnosis (relative to IBD), Black race (relative to White race), and hypertension;
- There are potential disparities (racial/ethnic) in access to a smartphone/tablet/computer and the use of technology amongst specific groups (Side note: UAB also studied the )
The results of this study reveal the significant impact of using PET for more effective and efficient delivery of patient education, improving perioperative care of ileostomy patients.
