The Effect of Mobile Education on Anxiety and Activities of Daily Living

June 19, 2026 updated by: Muaz Gulsen, Cukurova University

The Impact of e-Mobile Education Based on the Life Model on Anxiety and Daily Living Activities in Thyroidectomy Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to assess the impact of e-mobile training, structured according to the Life Model, on the anxiety levels and daily living activities of patients who had undergone thyroidectomy.

The study was conducted as a prospective, two-arm (1:1), randomized controlled interventional study involving 68 patients. All patients received standard discharge protocols. In addition, patients in the intervention group received Life Model-based e-mobile education through a mobile application.

Trait anxiety was assessed before surgery, while state anxiety and activities of daily living were evaluated on postoperative days 3, 7, and 10. The study investigated whether e-mobile education could reduce anxiety levels and improve adaptation to daily living activities after thyroidectomy.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The study was designed as a prospective, two-arm (1:1), randomized controlled interventional study.

The study officially commenced in September 2021 with the development of the e-mobile intervention. During the preparatory phase (September 2021-February 2022), educational content was developed according to the Life Model, expert evaluations were completed, the mobile application was developed with the support of software engineers and graphic designers, pilot testing was conducted, and sample size calculations were performed.

Participant recruitment and data collection were conducted in the general surgery clinic of a university hospital between March and November 2022.

The sample consisted of patients who underwent partial thyroidectomy due to benign thyroid disease, were between 18 and 65 years of age, were able to communicate, used Android-based smartphones, and agreed to participate in the study.

A pilot study was conducted before the main trial, and sample size was determined using a priori power analysis. A total of 68 participants were included in the study and randomized into intervention and control groups.

The intervention group received Life Model-based e-mobile education in addition to standard discharge protocols. The e-mobile application was developed by the researchers with the support of software engineers and graphic designers. Educational content was structured according to the Activities of Daily Living Model developed by Roper, Logan, and Tierney. The application included information related to the preoperative, postoperative, and home-care periods, educational materials, frequently asked questions, questionnaires, reminder functions, and a messaging system.

The control group received standard discharge protocols only during the study period. After completion of the study, participants in the control group were provided access to the educational material.

Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and Activities of Daily Living Assessment and Monitoring Form. Trait anxiety was assessed preoperatively. State anxiety and activities of daily living were assessed on postoperative days 3, 7, and 10.

The primary objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of e-mobile education on anxiety levels following thyroidectomy. The secondary objective was to evaluate its effect on activities of daily living during the postoperative recovery period.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

68

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Adana
      • Adana, Adana, Turkey (Türkiye), 01250
        • Muaz Gülşen
    • Asia
      • Adana, Asia, Turkey (Türkiye), 01250
        • Muaz Gülşen

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Planned thyroidectomy for benign thyroid disease
  • Hospitalized at least one day before surgery
  • Aged between 18 and 65 years
  • Able to communicate in Turkish
  • Conscious and oriented to person, place, and time
  • No psychiatric disorder
  • No hearing, speech, or visual impairment
  • Undergoing partial thyroidectomy, lobectomy, or total thyroidectomy under general anesthesia
  • Possession and use of an Android-based smartphone
  • Willing to participate and provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of psychiatric disorders
  • Hearing, speech, or visual impairment
  • Refusal to provide informed consent
  • Withdrawal from the study after enrollment
  • Failure to use the e-mobile application after allocation to the intervention group
  • Employment in a health-related profession
  • Cancellation of surgery for any reason
  • Inability to be contacted during the follow-up period

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Application Group
Participants in the intervention group received standard discharge protocols and Life Model-based e-mobile education. One day before surgery, the Personal Information Form and Trait Anxiety Scale were administered. The e-mobile application was installed on participants' Android smartphones and individual usernames and passwords were provided. Participants received approximately 15 minutes of one-to-one training on application use. The application included educational content related to preoperative, postoperative, and home-care periods, frequently asked questions, reminder notifications, questionnaires, and a messaging system. State Anxiety Scale and Activities of Daily Living Assessment and Monitoring Form were completed through the application on postoperative days 3, 7, and 10. Reminder notifications were sent through the application to support questionnaire completion.
Other: e-Mobile Application Patient Education for Patients with Thyroidectomy
Its mobile application is prepared according to the "Android Operating System" and can be downloaded free of charge from the Google Play Store, it is an application that provides training and consultancy services for patients who have had thyroidectomy surgery.
No Intervention: Control Group
Participants in the control group received standard discharge protocols only during the study period. One day before surgery, the Personal Information Form and Trait Anxiety Scale were administered. On postoperative days 3, 7, and 10, the researcher contacted participants by telephone and administered the State Anxiety Scale and Activities of Daily Living Assessment and Monitoring Form. No e-mobile education was provided during the intervention period. After completion of the study, participants in the control group were provided access to the educational material.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
STAI State and Trait Anxiety Inventory
Time Frame: Preoperative assessment and postoperative days 3, 7, and 10
State and trait anxiety were assessed using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Trait anxiety was assessed preoperatively, whereas state anxiety was assessed on postoperative days 3, 7, and 10. Higher scores indicate higher anxiety levels.
Preoperative assessment and postoperative days 3, 7, and 10

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Assessment and Monitoring Form for Daily Living Activities
Time Frame: Postoperative days 3, 7, and 10
Activities of daily living were assessed using the Assessment and Monitoring Form for Daily Living Activities. The form evaluates patients' adaptation to daily living activities during the postoperative recovery period. Higher scores indicate greater difficulty in performing daily living activities.
Postoperative days 3, 7, and 10

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Cukurova University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

September 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

November 21, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 1, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 2, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

September 7, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 19, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • CukurovaUnıversıty

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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