The Effect of Technology-Assisted Preoperative Education on Postoperative Coping and Maternal Satisfaction in Adolescents Undergoing Emergency Appendectomy: A Non-Randomized Controlled Study

Objective: To evaluate the effect of technology-assisted preoperative education on postoperative coping levels in adolescents undergoing emergency appendectomy and on maternal satisfaction.Methods: This non-randomized controlled study was conducted between July 2024 and June 2025 in the Pediatric Surgery Service of a university-affiliated hospital in the Marmara Region of Türkiye. The study included adolescents aged 10–18 years diagnosed with acute appendicitis and their mothers. Of the 52 patients assessed for eligibility, 40 adolescent–mother pairs completed the study (20 in the experimental group and 20 in the control group). Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, the KIDCOPE-T, and the PedsQL™ Healthcare Parent Satisfaction Scale. The experimental group received a technology-based, video-assisted preoperative education program in addition to routine care, whereas the control group received routine care only. Data were analyzed using SPSS and the nonparametric F1-LD-F1 model in RStudio.Results: No statistically significant differences were found between the groups in terms of baseline sociodemographic characteristics (p > 0.05). Pretest and posttest KIDCOPE-T total and subdimension scores did not differ significantly between the groups (p > 0.05). Repeated-measures analysis showed no significant group effect, time effect, or group × time interaction on coping scores (p > 0.05). Likewise, no statistically significant differences were found between the groups regarding total or subdimension scores of the PedsQL™ Healthcare Parent Satisfaction Scale (p > 0.05).Conclusion: Technology-assisted preoperative education did not have a statistically significant effect on postoperative coping levels in adolescents undergoing emergency appendectomy or on maternal satisfaction. Further studies with larger samples and different intervention timing are recommended.