Evaluating Live Parent-Child Video and Cartoon Distractions to Reduce Anxiety and Agitation in Children Aged 2 to 6 During Surgery

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating two non-drug video-based methods to reduce anxiety before surgery and agitation after anesthesia in children aged 2 to 6 years undergoing elective surgery with general anesthesia. The study aims to compare live video interaction with a parent, cartoon watching, and standard care to see which approach helps children cope better during the surgical experience. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups live video communication with a parent using a tablet during transfer to the operating room, watching a short, age-appropriate cartoon on a tablet during the same period, or receiving standard care without video distraction. The interventions end just before anesthesia induction. No sedative medications will be given as part of the study, and children requiring pharmacological premedication will be excluded from final assessments. During the study, childrens anxiety will be measured at parent separation and before anesthesia using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale-Short Form. Agitation during recovery will be assessed with the Pediatric Anesthesia Emergence Delirium scale in the post-anesthesia care unit. Parents anxiety will also be recorded. Data collection uses standardized forms, and the primary outcome is the maximum emergence delirium score during recovery on the day of surgery.

Live Parent-Child Video Interaction and Cartoon Watching for Emergence Agitation in Children