Psycho-educational preparation of children for anaesthesia: A review of intervention methods

• Several methods are used to cope with children’s stress at anaesthesia induction.
• Preparation programmes, distractive techniques and parental presence are reviewed.
• Interventions have evolved over the last decades with their own benefits and limits.
• Factors mediating child’s anxiety at induction and intervention characteristics are discussed.

ObjectiveTo systematically review the different methods available for the psycho-educational preparation of children for anaesthesia induction.MethodsArticles were searched in Academic Search Premier, OvidSP, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Inclusion criteria were psychological and educational preparation of children for anaesthesia and anxiety reduction. The titles of papers and abstracts were reviewed and full copies of selected papers were scrutinized.ResultsForty-four empirical studies were identified. Twenty-one articles described preoperative preparation programmes, twelve examined the effects of distractive techniques and eleven reported the effect of parental presence during anaesthesia’s induction. Some general characteristics of the different interventions are discussed together with some key psychological and educational factors mediating anxiety in children undergoing anaesthesia.ConclusionThe effectiveness of interventions were linked to several factors. Psychological and contextual aspects are discussed. Psycho-educational activities should be better described when reporting their effectiveness in children’s preparation for an anaesthesia.Practice implicationsPatient and family characteristics together with organizational and systemic aspects are described in order to guide the choice of the most appropriate preparation method for diverse health care setting.