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Published on: November 6, 2019

Video Distraction Reduces Anxiety, Pain, and Delirium in Pediatric Tonsillectomy

Young Eun Kwon1, Hye-Ja Park2, Sunki Kim2

  • 1Anaesthesia Unit, Bundang CHA Medical Center, CHA University, Pocheon-si,South Korea.

Journal of Perianesthesia Nursing : Official Journal of the American Society of Perianesthesia Nurses
|August 8, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Preoperative video distraction effectively reduced postoperative anxiety and pain in children undergoing tonsillectomy. This non-pharmacological approach shows promise for early recovery, though further research on emergence delirium is needed.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Anesthesiology
  • Nursing Interventions
  • Pain Management

Background:

  • Tonsillectomy is a common pediatric surgical procedure.
  • Postoperative anxiety, pain, and emergence delirium are significant concerns during recovery.
  • Non-pharmacological interventions are sought to improve pediatric postanesthetic care.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of preoperative video-assisted distraction on postoperative anxiety, pain, and emergence delirium in children undergoing tonsillectomy.
  • To assess the effectiveness of a nurse-led, non-pharmacological intervention during early postanesthetic recovery.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial involving children aged 4-9 years undergoing tonsillectomy.
  • Participants were stratified by age and sex, then randomized to a video distraction group or a control group.
  • Outcomes measured included anxiety (FACES Anxiety Scale), pain (pediatric pain scale), and emergence delirium (Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium Scale).

Main Results:

  • Children in the video distraction group showed significantly lower anxiety and pain scores at 10 and 30 minutes after post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) admission.
  • While emergence delirium scores were lower in the intervention group, the difference was not statistically significant.
  • Significant group-by-time interactions were noted for anxiety and pain.

Conclusions:

  • Preoperative video-assisted distraction is a potentially effective non-pharmacological intervention for reducing anxiety and pain in pediatric patients during early PACU recovery after tonsillectomy.
  • Further research is warranted to explore its effects on emergence delirium and long-term recovery outcomes.
  • This intervention highlights the role of nursing in managing postanesthetic recovery.
Abstract

Keywords:
anxietychilddeliriumpaintonsillectomy

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