The Effect of Preoperative Visual Explanation on Anxiety in Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Anesthesiology
• Child Psychology
• Medical Education

Background:

• Preoperative anxiety is a common concern in pediatric patients undergoing adenotonsillectomy.
• Effective communication strategies are crucial for managing anxiety in children.
• Visual aids may offer a promising method for explaining complex medical procedures to young patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of picture-based explanations of the perioperative process on pediatric patients' anxiety levels before adenotonsillectomy.
• To assess the effect of visual aids on physiological indicators of anxiety, such as heart rate.
• To determine the influence of this intervention on parental anxiety levels.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized controlled trial involving 58 pediatric patients scheduled for adenotonsillectomy.
• Group 1 received explanations using pictures; Group 2 (control) did not.
• Child anxiety was measured using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale Short Form (mYPAS-SF); parental anxiety was assessed via the Visual Analog Scale for Anxiety.

Main Results:

• Patients who received picture-based explanations exhibited significantly lower heart rates during induction and intraoperatively.
• The picture group showed significantly reduced mYPAS-SF scores at multiple time points post-intervention.
• Parents in the picture group reported significantly lower anxiety levels at all measured time points.

Conclusions:

• Illustrating the perioperative process with visual aids effectively reduces preoperative anxiety in pediatric adenotonsillectomy patients.
• This method also helps prevent emergence agitation and lowers parental anxiety.
• The ease of implementation makes picture-based explanations a valuable tool for managing the perioperative experience for children, parents, and healthcare providers.