Preparing Parents to Be Present for Their Child's Anesthesia Induction: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesia
• Child Psychology
• Parental Support

Background:

• Parental presence during anesthesia induction (PPIA) is common in pediatric care.
• Standard preparation for PPIA may not fully equip parents for their role.
• Brief interventions can potentially enhance parental preparedness and child outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare a brief preparation intervention for PPIA with standard PPIA preparation.
• To evaluate the impact of the intervention on children's preoperative anxiety and cooperation.
• To assess parental anxiety and self-efficacy during the anesthesia induction process.

Main Methods:

• 93 children (2-10 years) and their parents participated in a randomized trial.
• Parents were assigned to either a brief PPIA preparation or standard PPIA group.
• Children's anxiety, cooperation, delirium, and pain were measured; parents' anxiety and self-efficacy were also assessed.

Main Results:

• The brief preparation intervention did not significantly reduce children's preoperative anxiety at any measured point.
• Parents in the intervention group showed a trend towards higher self-efficacy regarding their role in the operating room.
• No significant differences were found in children's cooperation, emergence delirium, or postoperative pain between groups.

Conclusions:

• A brief video-based intervention for parental presence during anesthesia induction was not effective in reducing children's preoperative anxiety.
• Further research is needed to monitor parental behavior and optimize support for PPIA.
• Enhancing parental self-efficacy may be a potential benefit, but its impact on child anxiety requires further investigation.