Traditional nurse-led vs chatbot education for older adults in postoperative complication prevention after major...

Older adult surgical patients often face barriers to accessing and understanding health information, which may affect their ability to prevent postoperative complications. Chatbot-based education may offer a personalized and accessible alternative to traditional preoperative consultations.

A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 214 older adult patients undergoing elective major abdominal surgery. Participants were randomly assigned to either a traditional nurse-led education group (TN-E) or an intervention group (PreventCombot), which received additional chatbot-based education. Data were collected at multiple time points using validated tools to assess postoperative complications, anxiety, satisfaction, and health-related quality of life.

Compared to the TN-E group, The chatbot-based intervention significantly reduced most postoperative complications at 24 h, 48 h, and 30d (p < 0.05), with balanced baseline characteristics (all p > 0.05). Moreover, the PreventCombot group showed significantly reduced anxiety levels (p < 0.001), and improved physical and mental health-related quality of life scores (p < 0.001).

Chatbot-based patient education is a promising adjunct to routine preoperative consultation for older adults. It enhances emotional well-being and satisfaction and may contribute to improved recovery outcomes. Integrating chatbots into preoperative care can support personalized learning and reduce communication barriers in geriatric patients.

Registered prospectively on ClinicalTrials.gov on 03/10/2024; registration number ID: [NCT06624995].