Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Aug 27, 2026; 18(8): 119824
Published online Aug 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.119824
Published online Aug 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.119824
Structured game and parental education on postoperative pain and anxiety in children with appendicitis
Si Chen, Xiao-Qian Dun, Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation, Shijiazhuang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei Province, China
Author contributions: Chen S contributed to conceptualization, methodology, investigation, data curation, formal analysis, writing-original draft preparation, writing-review and editing, visualization, project administration; Dun XQ contributed to conceptualization, methodology, validation, resources, supervision, funding acquisition, writing-review and editing.
AI contribution statement: AI was used only for language translation during the preparation of this manuscript. No AI was used for content generation, data analysis, study design, result interpretation, or image creation.
Institutional review board statement: This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The research protocol was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (or Ethics Committee) of Shijiazhuang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, date of approval: Date, 15 March 2024. Informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all participating children.
Informed consent statement: Written informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all children enrolled in this study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
CONSORT 2010 statement: The authors have read the CONSORT 2010 Statement, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CONSORT 2010 Statement.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting the findings of this study are not publicly available due to ethical restrictions and the need to protect the privacy of the pediatric participants. De-identified data may be available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request and with the approval of the institutional ethics committee.
Corresponding author: Xiao-Qian Dun, Department of Pediatric Rehabilitation, Shijiazhuang Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital, No. 396 Youyi South Street, Qiaoxi District, Shijiazhuang 050000, Hebei Province, China. guoxiaoqian206@163.com
Received: March 27, 2026
Revised: April 22, 2026
Accepted: June 3, 2026
Published online: August 27, 2026
Processing time: 142 Days and 5.3 Hours
Revised: April 22, 2026
Accepted: June 3, 2026
Published online: August 27, 2026
Processing time: 142 Days and 5.3 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study pioneers a dual-strategy model that combines structured, theme-based games with practical parental coaching for children after appendectomy. This approach actively engages both child and parent in recovery, going beyond routine nursing. Results show it shortens hospital stays, reduces painkiller use, eases children’s emotional distress, and lowers caregiver anxiety. The model provides a practical, family-centered blueprint to improve pediatric surgical outcomes and overall care satisfaction.