Effect of an Educational Comic Story about Preoperative Orientation on Information and Anxiety Level of Children Undergoing Surgery

Abstract

Surgery is considered a stressful experience for children because of their unfamiliarity with the environment and medical procedures. Anxiety interferes with anesthesia induction and results in many complications. Comic stories produce cognitive control by developing realistic expectations and correcting misperceptions and misbeliefs. This study aimed to assess the effect of an educational comic story about preoperative orientation on the information and anxiety levels of children undergoing surgery. A quasi-experimental design was used. The study was conducted at Mansoura University Children’s Hospital, Egypt. A structured interview questionnaire, self-report anxiety scale, and an observational behavioral scale were used for data collection. The results revealed highly statistically significant differences in information, self-reported anxiety, and observed anxiety between the pre and post-tests (p = .000). Moreover, a negative linear correlation between children’s preoperative anxiety and information level was demonstrated.