Development of a mobile application for the care of children with gastrostomy and the effect of the application on gastrostomy complications, parents' care burden, self-efficacy and anxiety levels

Objective: This study was conducted to develop a mobile application for the care of children with gastrostomy (G-MUEP) and to determine the effect of the application on gastrostomy complications, care burden, self-efficacy, and anxiety levels of parents. Method: The research was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, a mobile application for the care of children with gastrostomy (G-MUEP) was developed. In the second phase, the effectiveness of G-MUEP was evaluated in a randomized controlled design with 60 parents. The study was conducted between September 2020 and May 2024. The data were collected between September 2023 and March 2024. Parents in the intervention group used the G-MUEP for three months. Measurements were taken from parents in the intervention and control groups months 0, 1 and 3. measurements were made with the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, State/Trait Anxiety Scale, Complication Checklist. Data were analyzed using by number, percentage, mean, chi-square, mixed measures variance analysis, independent groups t test and time-dependent analysis of variance. Results: It was determined that 81.7% of the children of the parents who participated in the study were diagnosed with neurological diseases and 81.7% of them had a gastrostomy tube inserted due to neurological diseases. It was noted that the mean scores of parents in the intervention group decreased on the caregiver burden and state/trait anxiety compared to the control group, and their mean scores on self-efficacy increased following the intervention (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in complication rates among children in the intervention and control groups at 1 and 3 months (p>0.05). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that G-MUEP increased parents' self-efficacy while reducing their care burden and state and trait anxiety levels. It is recommended that mobile application, which is a technological intervention, be used in the education of parents of children with gastrostomy. Keywords: care burden, gastrostomy, anxiety, self-efficacy, pediatric nursing