A Mobile Application Can Be Used as an Alternative to the Traditional Preparation Method for Parents in Pediatric Day Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Digital preparation programs for day surgery are now available through smartphones; however, research on the effectiveness of digital interventions among parents is lacking. Aim: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a mobile application intervention in preparing parents for pediatric day surgery and to describe the correlations between parents’ anxiety, stress, and satisfaction. Methods: A total of 70 parents of preschool children who were scheduled for elective day surgery were randomly divided into two groups: the intervention group (IG; n = 36) and the control group (CG; n = 34). The study took place in the pediatric day surgical department of a university hospital in Finland. The IG used a mobile application, while the CG used routine methods. Parents’ anxiety, stress and satisfaction were measured using validated instruments. Results: There was no significant difference in parental anxiety levels between the two groups, both before and after the surgery. After the surgery, both groups of parents reported feeling less anxious while at home. Pre-surgery, most parents experienced no/mild stress at home. However, post-surgery, intervention group parents reported significantly less stress at home than control group parents. The mean VAS score for parents’ satisfaction in both groups was high: 8.8 for the intervention group (SD 1.9) and 8.6 for the control group (SD 0.9). These mean scores did not significantly differ. Anxiety, stress, and satisfaction showed a significant correlation in most cases at both T1 and T4. Conclusions: A mobile application can serve as an alternative to the traditional method of preparing parents for pediatric day surgery.