Smartphone Application Tracks Ureteral Stents with Automatic SMS Reminders to Prevent Forgotten Stents: A Multi-Centres Retrospective Cohort Study in Malaysia

Abstract

Abstract Background and Objective: Forgotten ureteral stents (FUS) can result in serious complications. In many developing countries, traditional manual stent registry is used to track stents and prevent FUS, which is prone to mistakes. We developed a cloud-based smartphone ureteral stent tracker application and compared its efficiency with the conventional manual stent registry. Methods: A retrospective review of the stent registry system for two cohorts of patients who underwent ureteral stent placement at our centres was performed. 152 patients were tracked through a traditional manual registry system (conventional group), while 158 patients were tracked using smartphone application with automatic SMS reminders (app group). We compared the demographic data, stent insertion data, number of cases of FUS, and duration of overdue stents. Result: The mean (SD) age was 59.26 (12.9) and 59.03 (12.9) years, for conventional and app groups, respectively. Ureteric stone obstruction was the most common indication for stent placement in the conventional group, while post-procedure was the most common in the app group (p = 0.02). 13.2% of patients had FUS in the conventional group, while all patients in the app group had their stent removed as planned (p < 0.01). As a result, the median (IQR) duration of stent indwelling was longer in the conventional group than the app group [141 (12) vs 45 (149) days, p = 0.02). The median (IQR) duration of FUS was 55 (94) days. Conclusion: Mobile application along with automatic SMS reminders can effectively monitor ureteral stents, ensuring their timely removal and follow-up. This highlights the significance of technology in enhancing urological patient care and safety.