Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 6, 2025
E-Patient Counseling Trial E-PACO: Computer Based Education versus Nurse Counseling for Patients to Prepare for Colonoscopy
Published on: August 1, 2019
Utility of interactive videogame in allaying preoperative anxiety in pediatric surgical patients - A randomized
A P Vinay1, S T Karna1, Z Ahmad1
1Department of Anesthesiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India.
Insights
Video games (VG) effectively reduced preoperative anxiety in pediatric surgical patients. This non-pharmacological distraction improved outcomes, making VG a valuable tool for managing anxiety in children undergoing surgery.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Anesthesiology
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Non-pharmacological distraction methods for pediatric surgical patients are under-explored.
- Preoperative anxiety is a significant concern in children undergoing surgery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the distractive effect of video games (VG) on immediate preoperative anxiety in children aged 4-12 years undergoing elective surgery.
- To compare anxiety levels and parental separation anxiety between a VG intervention group and a usual care control group.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled study involving 150 pediatric surgical patients.
- Intervention group played VG until anesthetic induction; control group received usual care.
- Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) and Parental Separation Anxiety Scale (PSAS) were used to assess anxiety.
Main Results:
- Video game intervention significantly reduced preoperative anxiety.
- The incidence of anxiety at parental separation was lower in the VG group (59%) compared to the control group (87%).
- VG use led to a 2.32 times lower risk of anxiety at parental separation (P = 0.036).
Conclusions:
- Video game-based distraction is an effective non-pharmacological method to reduce preoperative anxiety in pediatric surgical patients.
- VG distraction can improve patient experience and potentially reduce the need for pharmacological interventions.
Introduction:
Non-pharmacological distraction using video games (VG) is still under-explored in pediatric surgical patients.
Materials And Methods:
We conducted this randomized controlled study of 150 children, aged 4-12 years, scheduled for elective surgery in a tertiary care hospital to estimate the distractive effect of VG on immediate preoperative anxiety in children. In the intervention group (I), playing with VG was encouraged till anesthetic induction. The control group (C) received usual care with verbal reassurance. Modified Yale preoperative anxiety scale (mYPAS) score and presence of anxiety (mYPAS >30) were noted in the preoperative area (T1), at parental separation (T2), and anesthetic induction (T3). Parental separation anxiety score (PSAS) >3 was considered unacceptable parental separation. We used the Mann-Whitney test and t-test to find significance of intergroup mean difference of anxiety and logistic regression to find risk factors for immediate preoperative anxiety.
Results:
The mean m-YPAS (±SD) scores at T1 and T2 were 38 (±10.9) and 52.2 (±18.7) in group C and 46.5 (±13.5) and 33 (IQR: 28.3-65.5) in group I, respectively. The incidence of anxiety at T2 was higher in group C (81.3%) than in group I (59%). More children in group I (53/75) had acceptable separation than in group C (32/75) (P = 0.001). VG led to a 2.32 times lower risk of anxiety at T2 (P = 0.036). In children with acceptable separation, the incidence of anxiety was lower in group I (59%) than in group C (87%).
Conclusion:
VG-based distraction effectively reduced preoperative anxiety in children undergoing elective surgeries.
