Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Timing of Postoperative Education in the Pediatric Population

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the impact of timing for providing parents with postoperative education in the pediatric setting, their ability to retain information, and their satisfaction with the education provided. A total of 70 subjects were enrolled and randomly assigned to a control or intervention group. The control group received postoperative education just before discharge home, whereas the intervention group received the education during their child’s surgical procedure. Parents’ knowledge retention regarding their child’s postoperative care was evaluated at 24 hours and 7 days after surgery. Their satisfaction with the postoperative education timing was also evaluated at 24 hours post surgery. A significant difference in satisfaction was found between the two groups, but there was no difference in knowledge scores. These results suggest that parents are able to retain information while their child is in surgery, and, in fact, they prefer this timing for postoperative education.