About the PhD thesis

This thesis investigated the use of digital communication following hospital discharge. Focusing on orthopedic care pathways, the use of digital team-based communication between patients and health care professionals across settings was explored using multiple methods.

The length of hospital stays for patients undergoing orthopedic surgery has been reduced, with the primary postoperative treatment taking place in the patients' homes. Since they often have complex needs, a person-centered approach combined with interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration is necessary to achieve optimal outcomes. This places new demands on com-munication and coordination. Digital communication technologies have the po-tential to bridge this gap. Despite the increasing prevalence of digital commu-nication solutions in health care, little research has investigated the use of team-based digital communication that crosses sector boundaries, its implica-tions for clinical practice, and the resulting effects during the transition of care from hospital to home.

In Study I, a scoping review of the literature regarding the use of asynchro-nous digital two-way communication between patients and health care profes-sionals after hospital discharge was performed.

In Study II, a qualitative evaluation of access to team-based digital communi-cation between patients and health care professionals across disciplines and sectors after discharge was conducted (the eDialogue intervention).

In Study III, a randomized controlled trial of the effects of the eDialogue inter-vention on patient-initiated phone calls, patients' perception of continuity of care, safety, and satisfaction was performed.

Together, these studies contribute new insights into the use of digital commu-nication following hospital discharge, specifically highlighting the underresearched area of cross-sectoral team-based communication.