A WeChat-based, expert knowledge-constrained artificial intelligence health education intervention for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
7 affiliations
- 1Department of Medical Affairs, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu , ,
- 2Department of Nursing, The Fourth People's Hospital of Chengdu , ,
- 3Department of Medical Affairs, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital , ,
- 4Department of Quality Evaluation and Medical Record Management, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu , ,
- 5Department of Gastroenterology, The Fourth People's Hospital of Zigong , ,
- 6School of Education, Chengdu College of Arts and Sciences , ,
- 7Hospital Administration Office, The Third People's Hospital of Chengdu , ,
Abstract
Background: Perioperative health education is essential for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery, but conventional approaches are often limited by time, workload, continuity, and personalization. Artificial intelligence (AI) may offer a more accessible and interactive approach to patient education. This trial aims to evaluate whether a WeChat-based, expert knowledge-constrained AI health education system can improve anxiety and other patient-reported outcomes in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery.
Methods: This is a single-center, open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio. A total of 120 eligible patients will be recruited from the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Chengdu Third People’s Hospital and randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The control group will receive usual perioperative care and conventional health education, while the intervention group will additionally receive a WeChat-based AI-supported health education intervention for 3 months. The primary outcome is anxiety measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale. Secondary outcomes include depression, perceived social support, self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, and eHealth literacy. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, discharge, 3 months, and 6 months. Analyses will primarily follow the intention-to-treat principle.
Ethics and dissemination: This study is a low-risk behavioral intervention trial. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and other academic channels. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of Chengdu Third People’s Hospital (Ethics No: 2026-S-69). The clinical trial is registered under ChiCTR2600122411, with registration completed on April 2026.
Clinical trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/ , identifier ChiCTR2600122411.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026wechatbased,
title = {{A WeChat-based, expert knowledge-constrained artificial intelligence health education intervention for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery: protocol for a randomized controlled trial}},
author = {Li Liu and Xu Du and Guangli Yang and Shuyao Xiang and Hua Guo and Lu Huang and Yun-Hua Li and Hongtao Yu},
journal = {Frontiers in public health},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/fpubh.2026.1862627},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661914},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - A WeChat-based, expert knowledge-constrained artificial intelligence health education intervention for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery: protocol for a randomized controlled trial
AU - Li Liu
AU - Xu Du
AU - Guangli Yang
AU - Shuyao Xiang
AU - Hua Guo
AU - Lu Huang
AU - Yun-Hua Li
AU - Hongtao Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in public health
DO - 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1862627
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13661914
AB - Background: Perioperative health education is essential for patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery, but conventional approaches are often limited by time, workload, continuity, and personalization. Artificial intelligence (AI) may offer a more accessible and interactive approach to patient education. This trial aims to evaluate whether a WeChat-based, expert knowledge-constrained AI health education system can improve anxiety and other patient-reported outcomes in patients undergoing gastrointestinal surgery. Methods: This is a single-center, open-label, parallel-group randomized controlled trial with a 1:1 allocation ratio. A total of 120 eligible patients will be recruited from the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery at Chengdu Third People’s Hospital and randomly assigned to either an intervention group or a control group. The control group will receive usual perioperative care and conventional health education, while the intervention group will additionally receive a WeChat-based AI-supported health education intervention for 3 months. The primary outcome is anxiety measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety subscale. Secondary outcomes include depression, perceived social support, self-efficacy, health-related quality of life, and eHealth literacy. Outcomes will be assessed at baseline, discharge, 3 months, and 6 months. Analyses will primarily follow the intention-to-treat principle. Ethics and dissemination: This study is a low-risk behavioral intervention trial. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and other academic channels. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Medical Ethics Committee of Chengdu Third People’s Hospital (Ethics No: 2026-S-69). The clinical trial is registered under ChiCTR2600122411, with registration completed on April 2026. Clinical trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn/ , identifier ChiCTR2600122411.
SN - 2296-2565
ER -