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Is Preoperative Anxiety Affected by Watching Short Videos on Social Media? A Prospective Randomized Study
Burhan Dost1, Ozgur Komurcu1, Sezgin Bilgin1
1Department of Anesthesiology and Reanimation, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey.
Insights
Watching short videos significantly reduced preoperative anxiety in children aged 5-12. This simple intervention in the waiting room can help ease children's anxiety before surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Anesthesiology
- Child Psychology
- Digital Health Interventions
Background:
- Preoperative anxiety is common in pediatric patients undergoing surgery.
- Anxiety can negatively impact patient experience and recovery.
- Non-pharmacological interventions are sought to manage preoperative anxiety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of watching short videos on social media platforms in reducing preoperative anxiety in children.
- To assess the impact of this intervention at various time points before surgery.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, randomized trial with 69 pediatric patients (5-12 years old).
- Experimental group watched short videos for 20 minutes; control group did not.
- Anxiety measured using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) at four time points.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in anxiety scores upon arrival (T1).
- Significantly lower mYPAS scores in the video group at T2, T3, and T4 (P < .001).
Conclusions:
- Short video engagement effectively lowers preoperative anxiety in pediatric patients.
- Social media video consumption is a viable tool for managing pre-surgical anxiety in children.
- This intervention offers a simple, accessible method to improve the pediatric surgical experience.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of watching short videos in the preoperative waiting room on preoperative anxiety in children.
Design:
This study was designed as a prospective, randomized trial including 69 ASA I-II patients aged 5 to 12 years who were scheduled for elective surgery.
Methods:
The children were randomly allocated to two groups. The experimental group browsed short videos on a social media platform (eg, YouTube short, TikTok, Instagram reels) for 20 minutes in the preoperative waiting room, but the control group did not. Children's preoperative anxiety was determined by the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) at different time points: on arrival in the preoperative waiting room (T1), right before being taken to the operating room (OR) (T2), on entering the OR (T3), and during anesthesia induction (T4). The primary outcome of the study was children's anxiety scores at T2.
Findings:
The mYPAS scores at T1 were similar in both groups (P = .571). The mYPAS scores at T2, T3, and T4 were significantly lower in the video group than in the control group (P < .001).
Conclusions:
Watching short videos on social media platforms in the preoperative waiting room lowered preoperative anxiety levels in pediatric patients aged 5 to 12.
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