The effect of a parental preparation video (Take 5) on child and parent anxiety during anaesthetic induction. A randomised controlled trial.

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Undergoing surgery can be a stressful and anxiety provoking process both for parents and the child undergoing surgery. Children are particularly vulnerable to experiencing procedural anxiety in the context of anaesthetic induction, especially due to varying and developing cognitive abilities, inability to self-regulate, and limited knowledge and/or experience of the healthcare environment. Young children are especially unlikely to engage in self-coping strategies, and instead rely on primary attachment figures for emotional regulation and behavioural cues. Previous research has demonstrated that parents’ own responses are influential for paediatric procedural coping and distress. As such, providing parents of children undergoing surgery with psychoeducation resources which can reduce their anxiety and promote coping strategies for both them and their child, may reduce negative experiences and post-operative outcomes (e.g., emergence delirium, pain severity, increased analgesic requirements, and longer-term poor psychological sequelae). The “Take Five” video resource for parents is a newly developed resource for procedural distress, and preliminary data from a study in young children with burn injuries indicates it is effective for improving parent and child experiences of burn wound care. We believe that this resource has the potential to significantly improve anaesthetic induction for parents and children and reduce poor post-operative outcomes.