Abstract
In this study we examined the effects of psychological preparation at home on emotional upset in young children aged 3-7 years scheduled to undergo inguinal hernia in hospital. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups that both viewed a promotional video once as outpatients in a group of other patients prior to hospitalization ("standard of care"); the control group (n=31) later underwent surgery without any further preparation; the intervention group (n=28) watched the same promotional video again at least once at home with their parents prior to hospitalization and surgery.
The patients' emotional upset was measured once pre-intervention, twice perioperatively, once at discharge, and three times post-discharge, the last being 1 month after surgery. Patients' perioperative vital signs and parents' anxiety were also assessed.
We found that patients in the intervention group experienced significantly less upset at induction of anesthesia (p=0.04) and in the postoperative period (p=0.01) than patients in the control group and that such perioperative vital signs as body temperature (p=0.003) and heart rate (p=0.02) indicated lower physical stress in the intervention group than in the control group.
We also found evidence of post-hospitalization negative behaviors in both groups, suggesting that medical personnel should proactively follow up and assess the condition of such young patients and their parents.
We concluded that psychological preparation with parents at home significantly alleviates young patients' perioperative emotional upset and disturbances in vital signs; young patients' post-hospitalization mental state and parents' anxiety merit further investigation.
