[A new instrument to measure distress in the operated child]

Having noted the lack of a French language tool to evaluate distress behaviours of children in a day care surgery situation, and after an exhaustive review of the literature on the subject, the author developed a measuring instrument for distress levels in such children. The 1999 version of the Echelle descriptive des comportements de l'enfant opéré (EDCEO) is a chart of observations used to measure anxiety, fear and pain in children aged 3 to 10 during the day when surgery is performed. The author describes the instrument, its components and the steps leading to its validation. Suggestions as to its uses in clinical and research situations are also presented.