The Effect of an Educational Application on The Quality of Life and Treatment Adherence in Mothers of Children with Congenital Heart Disease Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Only mothers with Android phones who could read, write, and use a phone were included, so the results may not apply to families without those devices or skills. Mothers knew whether they had the app, and the outcomes were self-reported, so expectations or reporting could have influenced the scores. Baseline questionnaires were paper and follow-up questionnaires were electronic, which may have changed how people answered. Follow-up was only one month, so longer-term quality of life and adherence are unknown. The app had no reminders, notifications, progress tracking, or way to confirm that techniques such as chest physiotherapy were done correctly. Child illness severity and family socioeconomic resources were not controlled, and they can affect caregiver quality of life. The trial was single-centre in Iran and recruited through convenience sampling, so results may not transfer to other settings. The study measured mothers' quality of life and adherence, not child recovery or clinical outcomes.

Do not read this as proof that the app alone caused the quality-of-life and adherence gains. Both groups received an educational booklet, nurse discharge education, and weekly calls, and the app was added to standard care.