Use of a preoperative playroom to prepare children for surgery.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a playroom next to the operating room to reduce preoperative anxiety in children. In 2009, we designed a playroom in a preoperative waiting room in our hospital. The playroom had colored toys and cars appropriate for different ages and a TV and video to show cartoons. Patients were randomly assigned into a case or a control group. Control group patients were admitted to the preoperative waiting room 30 min prior to operation. Case group patients were admitted to the playroom for the same period of time. The anxiety levels of the children were compared using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS). In this study 200 children were evaluated (100 patients in the case group, 100 patients in the control group). There were 20 female and 80 male patients in the case group with a mean age of 4.33 ± 1.5 years and 26 female and 74 male patients in the control group with a mean age of 3.87 ± 1.2 years (p=NS). Inguinal herniorraphy was the most common procedure in both groups. Preoperative anxiety was significantly decreased for all categories of the anxiety score as assessed by m-YPAS questionnaire. A preoperative playroom is a very effective method to reduce preoperative anxiety in children.