Impact of Preoperative Psycho-Educational Program on Anxiety and Cooperation of Pediatric Patients

This study investigated whether providing a mediation program by the education staff prior to elective surgery would reduce anxiety, improve cooperation, and increase knowledge compared to children who did not receive a mediation program. Participants included 60 children (ages 5–16) prior to undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia at Barzilai University Medical Center, Ashkelon, assigned to two groups: The control group received treatments provided exclusively by the medical and nursing staff. The experimental group also received mediation by the educational staff through a psycho-educational mediation program. Results were measured using the SCARED questionnaire in Hebrew with a section adapted to the study addressing anxiety, cooperation, knowledge acquisition, and one reflective question. Findings indicate that the experimental group's levels of knowledge and cooperation significantly exceeded that of the control group. In the psycho-educational program, 90 percent of experimental group participants exhibited a significant reduction in anxiety compared to the control group, persisting for two weeks following the intervention. The psycho-educational discussion was instrumental in helping most participants, particularly improving their emotional well-being. The staff's expertise in adapting the program to the children's emotional, physical, and mental needs also played a key role in reducing anxiety, increasing knowledge, and fostering cooperation.