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PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIOLOGY

Children’s Desire for Perioperative Information

Michelle A. Fortier, PhD^*, Jill MacLaren Chorney, PhD^*, Rachel Yaffa Zisk Rony, PhD, RN, MPH, Danielle Perret-Karimi, MD^*, Joseph B. Rinehart, MD^*, Felizardo S. Camilon, MD^||, and Zeev N. Kain, MD, MBA^*¶

From the *Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care, University of California, Irvine; Department of Pediatric Psychology, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California; Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; Department of Otolaryngology, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange; ||Department of Otolaryngology, University of California, Irvine; and ¶Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange, California.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Michelle A. Fortier, PhD, Children’s Hospital of Orange County, 505 S. Main St., Suite 940, Orange, CA 92868. Address e-mail to mfortier{at}choc.org.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this investigation was to identify what perioperative information children want to receive from the medical staff.

METHODS: As a first step, we developed an instrument based on a qualitative study conducted with children in Great Britain, input from a focus group, and input from school children. On the day of surgery, 143 children aged 7–17 yr completed a 40-item assessment of desired surgical information and a measure of anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Children). Parents completed a measure assessing their child’s temperament (Emotionality, Activity, Sociability, and Impulsivity Survey) and a measure of their own anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory).

RESULTS: Results indicated that the vast majority of children had a desire for comprehensive information about their surgery, including information about pain and anesthesia, and procedural information and information about potential complications. The most highly endorsed items by children involved information about pain. Children who were more anxious endorsed a stronger desire for pain information and lesser tendency to avoid information. Younger children wanted to know what the perioperative environment would look like more than adolescent children.

CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the majority of children aged 7–17 yr who undergo surgery want to be given comprehensive perioperative information and health care providers should ensure adequate information regarding postoperative pain is provided.