It’s pretty common now for us to be able to track the progress of various things, whether it’s the location of the package we ordered on Amazon or the progress of a flight our loved one is on.  A new app hopes to create a tracking service for something even more intimate.

The app, called Electronic Access to Surgical Events (EASE), aims to provide friends and loved ones with a steady stream of updates on how the operation on their relative is getting on.  The idea is to alleviate some of the stress and anxiety for people sitting in the waiting room oblivious to how things are going in the operating theatre.

So, whilst one nurse can be delivering an anesthetic to the patient, another can take a quick photo of the patient, which is then relayed to relatives outside.  The hope is that this flow of updates will ease the minds of the worried in the waiting room.

The idea is that there will be as many as a couple of dozen messages throughout the procedure, consisting of a mixture of text, photos or videos so that relatives can see what doctors and surgeons are doing at various phases of the procedure.

Indeed, as the service is delivered via an app, it’s also possible for relatives and loved ones who are not able to attend in person to receive progress updates via the app.

All messages are sent via 256-bit encryption to provide the same level of security as typically seen in things such as mobile banking.  Access to the app is granted solely by the hospital themselves, with each message ‘self-destructing’ ala Snapchat after 45 seconds in order to further enhance security levels.

In terms of process inside the operating theatre itself, it is hoped that the app will simply become an extension of existing procedure.  There is already a requirement that an attending nurse be responsible for updating families by telephone, so this would be an easier and more effective way of doing that.

It looks a really nice concept, and the app, which is available on both Apple and Android platforms, should provide a valuable service in our operating theatres.  Check out the video below for more information on EASE.