None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether a digitally delivered patient education platform improves health information comprehension compared to standard physical education for patients undergoing surgical prehabilitation. The study will recruit approximately 56 patients scheduled for surgery at Nepean Hospital. Participants will be randomly assigned to either a physical group receiving a standard printed booklet and videos on a USB stick, or a digital group receiving short, easy-to-read educational modules on a tablet or smartphone. The study will measure participants' understanding of their surgical preparation, anxiety levels, and overall feedback on the educational materials using targeted surveys before and after the intervention.
Interventions
AI-Driven Interactive Digital Pre-Surgery Education
Materials: Standard written patient-education content (covering pre-operative home exercises, diet and nutrition, recovery in hospital, pain control, medications, and recovery at home) is converted into short interactive digital modules using a locally-run AI algorithm. Each module includes tailored multiple-choice questions with immediate feedback, optional voice narration, and stock imagery, delivered via the RedCap platform.
Individualisat
AI-Driven Interactive Digital Pre-Surgery Education Materials: Standard written patient-education content (covering pre-operative home exercises, diet and nutrition, recovery in hospital, pain control, medications, and recovery at home) is converted into short interactive digital modules using a locally-run AI algorithm. Each module includes tailored multiple-choice questions with immediate feedback, optional voice narration, and stock imagery, delivered via the RedCap platform. Individualisation: Content topics are standardised across major surgery types (i.e. not tailored to the specific procedure). Procedures: participants are first sent with the email link to the pre-education knowledge assessment survey, they need to complete it before they can access all educational modules. Participants then complete the modules via smartphone, tablet, or computer, individually and remotely. Frequency and duration: 12 modules are all unlocked immediately after patients complete the pre-education baseline knowledge assessment. Then they are informed that they have exactly 5 days to review all modules. After 5 days, patients are given the survey link to complete the post-education knowledge assessment survey which takes approximately 20 minutes. Location: Participant's home or location of choice, via personal or study-loaned device. Adherence assessment: Automatically tracked via RedCap — module completion rate, time spent per module, and total session duration.
Sponsors
University of Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Age: Adults aged 18 years or older. Surgical Candidate: Patients scheduled to undergo a major surgical procedure (defined as an elective inpatient surgery requiring a hospital stay of at least 24 hours or more). Surgery Timing: The planned surgery must be scheduled to take place between 1 and 8 weeks after initial contact/enrollment. Cognitive Capacity: Patients must have the ability to understand and comprehend general health information related to their upcoming surgery. Consent Capacity: Patients must be able to provide informed consent, which includes understanding the study aims, procedures, and the intervention allocation (digital vs. physical). Prehabilitation Participation: Patients must be willing and able to participate in the patient education component of the pre-surgery program, regardless of whether they are assigned to the physical or digital group.
Exclusion criteria
Consent: Inability or unwillingness to provide informed consent. Cognitive Impairment: Significant cognitive impairment that affects the comprehension of health information, the ability to retain pre-surgery instructions, or the reliability of self-reported data (e.g., dementia). Technology Barriers: Inability or unwillingness to use digital technology for intervention delivery (digital group) and/or completing study assessments (e.g., lack of access to smartphones/tablets, aversion to digital tools). Surgery Timing: Surgery scheduled outside the defined time window (i.e., less than 1 week or more than 8 weeks post-initial contact). Prior Exposure: Participants who have already received physical education materials prior to enrollment in this study.
Outcome results
None listed