Intervention to Reduce Anxiety Pre-and Post-Eye Surgery in Pediatric Patients in South Korea: A Preliminary Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

In this study, we aimed to identify the effect of preoperative information on postoperative anxiety among children undergoing one-day eye surgery. We utilized a nonequivalent control group and a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design. The participants were 15 children in the experimental group and 15 children in the control group. Preoperative information was provided to the experimental group in the waiting room. Anxiety level was measured using the Children’s Emotional Manifestation Scale and pulse rate. For pulse rate, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups. In the behavioral anxiety response, there were statistically significant differences between the experimental and control groups (Z = −4.15, p < 0.001). The results suggest that the provision of preoperative information can be an effective intervention for reducing postoperative anxiety and improving the health of children undergoing surgery.