Abstract
In this randomised prospective study we aimed to evaluate whether preoperative anaesthetic education delivered to children on the day of surgery reduces anxiety behaviour during induction of anaesthesia. One hundred children, six to 15 years of age, undergoing general anaesthesia for ambulatory surgery were allocated at random to a preoperative education group (n=50) or a control group (n=50). The main outcomes were behaviour score, self-reporting of satisfaction score and identification of the stage when children felt most fearful. Data from all 100 participants were analysed. There was no difference in behaviour score at induction or satisfaction score between the groups. Eighteen percent in the intervention group reported no fear preoperatively vs 10% in the control group. Intravenous induction failed in nine out of 38 children in the intervention group (23.7%) compared to five out of 40 in the control group (12.5%). When intravenous induction failed, eight out of nine (89%) of the intervention group remained co-operative during gas induction compared to two out of five (40%) of the control group. Preoperative education delivered on the day of surgery did not reduce anxiety behaviour in children during intravenous induction of anaesthesia, but did reduce anxiety during subsequent inhalational induction.