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Effectiveness of orientation tour on children's anxiety before elective surgeries
Rogaieh Karimi1, Zeinab Fadaiy, Ali Nikbakht Nasrabadi
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran, Tehran Razi Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Marand, Iran.
Insights
An orientated tour significantly reduced children's anxiety before elective surgery. This intervention effectively lowered anxiety levels, though it did not impact vital signs.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Child Psychology
- Anesthesiology
Background:
- Children experience significant anxiety before surgery.
- Preoperative anxiety can lead to increased postoperative pain and analgesic requirements.
- Effective anxiety reduction strategies are crucial for pediatric surgical care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of an orientated tour in mitigating preoperative anxiety in children undergoing elective surgery.
- To assess the impact of this intervention on children's emotional state and physiological parameters.
Main Methods:
- A blinded clinical trial involving 70 children randomized into intervention and control groups.
- The intervention group received a preoperative orientated tour of the operating room.
- Anxiety was measured using the "Child Drawing: Hospital" instrument, alongside vital signs monitoring.
Main Results:
- The orientated tour group showed a statistically significant decrease in anxiety levels (P = 0.024).
- Respiration rate and blood pressure were significantly reduced post-tour in the intervention group.
- No significant changes were observed in heart rate or body temperature, nor were there significant inter-group differences in vital sign changes.
Conclusions:
- An orientated tour is an effective method for reducing preoperative anxiety in pediatric surgical patients.
- While beneficial for anxiety, the tour did not demonstrate a clinical effect on vital signs.
- This intervention offers a non-pharmacological approach to improve the pediatric surgical experience.
Aim:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an orientated tour in reduction of children's anxiety before elective surgeries. Anxiety is a common emotional reaction following surgical experience among children that can result in increasing postoperative pain, increasing analgesic use.
Methods:
The study was a blinded clinical trial; 70 children were randomized into two groups (intervention and control). All children received standard preoperative care, while those in the intervention group also received an orientated tour with their mother of the operation room the night before the surgery was carried out. The children's anxiety was assessed by the "Child Drawing: Hospital" instrument and vital signs measured before and after intervention in both groups. Data were analyzed with SPSS ver. 11.5 software.
Results:
Anxiety decreased in the intervention group following implementation of the orientated tour (P = 0.024). Following the orientated tour in the intervention group, respiration rate (P < 0.000) and blood pressure (P < 0.001 systolic and diastolic) were significantly reduced, while heart rate and body temperature were not significantly different to pre-intervention. Comparison changes of vital signs following the orientated tour between the two groups was not significant.
Conclusion:
Implementation of an orientated tour of the preoperative room can decrease anxiety levels in children before elective surgeries, but it has no clinical effect on vital signs.
