Picture book support for preparing children ahead of and during day surgery

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Surgery
• Anesthesiology
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Children undergoing day surgery often experience anxiety.
• Effective peri-operative communication is crucial for pediatric patients and their families.
• Existing information methods may not adequately address young children's comprehension levels.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a picture book designed to prepare children for anesthesia and surgery.
• To assess the impact of a picture book intervention on children's and parents' understanding and anxiety levels.
• To compare the effectiveness of a picture book with routine information methods.

Main Methods:

• A comparative intervention study involving 104 parents of children aged 2-12 years undergoing ear, nose, and throat day surgery.
• One group received routine information; the intervention group received routine information plus a specific picture book and information sheet.
• Qualitative content analysis of open-ended parent responses.

Main Results:

• The picture book and information sheet were valuable tools for explaining surgical and anesthesia procedures to young children.
• Parents reported that the visual aids increased their and their child's sense of security.
• The intervention group showed improved understanding and reduced anxiety compared to the routine information group.

Conclusions:

• Peri-operative information delivered through visual aids, such as picture books, significantly supports children and their parents during day surgery.
• Picture books can be a beneficial adjunct to routine information, enhancing the pediatric surgical experience.
• This approach may improve patient and family coping in future healthcare encounters.