Enhanced remote symptom monitoring after thoracic surgery
Official title: Enhanced Implementation of Remote Symptom Monitoring to Improve Recovery and Health Outcomes After Thoracic Surgery: A Hybrid Type 2 Randomized Controlled Trial
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11339893 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A large study will test whether a smartphone or online symptom-tracking system used after thoracic surgery can reduce pain, complications, and readmissions for patients recovering from lung surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $791,870 |
| NIH project number | 1R01HL185489-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11339893 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults undergoing thoracic surgery (e.g., lung resection) who are discharged home and have access to electronic reporting tools.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have access to or prefer not to use electronic symptom reporting may derive little or no benefit.
What this research studies
Patients undergoing lung surgery often experience significant symptoms after leaving the hospital. This project will design and implement an enhanced electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) system called BREATHE to monitor symptoms remotely. Five diverse hospital sites will collaborate to tailor the system to their clinics, followed by a parallel-group randomized trial involving about 700 patients to compare BREATHE with usual care over two years. The goal is to catch and address troublesome symptoms early, improving recovery and reducing adverse events. The work blends implementation science with a rigorous clinical trial to bring proactive post-discharge monitoring to thoracic surgery patients.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients recovering from thoracic surgery could experience fewer complications and faster, safer recoveries thanks to timely symptom management at home.
How similar studies have gone: Previous ePRO work in oncology has improved outcomes; this project tests the approach specifically for post-thoracic surgery in a multi-site randomized trial, which is novel for surgical care.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mody, Gita Natwar — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Mody, Gita Natwar
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.