Preanesthetic preparation of pediatric outpatients: the role of a videotape for parents.

Expanded outpatient surgery for pediatric patients makes it difficult to provide an unhurried and thorough preoperative visit. A useful component could be a videotape to be seen by parents at the time of their initial hospital visit. For this study, a videotape was made that included an actual induction of anesthesia procedure, information about pediatric anesthesia, and a discussion of the risks of injury or death during anesthesia. To decrease anxiety from discussion of risk, monitoring equipment was shown and explained. This survey investigated whether, after seeing the tape, the parents of children scheduled for outpatient surgery thought they were better informed and less anxious about the child's anesthetic. During a preoperative clinic visit, an interviewer introduced the tape and its purpose to 31 parents of 25 children, then asked a series of standard questions. When asked directly, most parents (74%) said the film did not change their concerns about the anesthetic, although 42% of the parents of the children with no surgical history reported decreased concern. In contrast, 84% to 97% of the parents considered seven specific aspects of the film to be helpful in reducing concern. Half were reminded of issues to be discussed with the child's anesthesiologist. Most parents (65%) appeared to accept discussion of the risk of perioperative death, although some had strongly negative reactions. The results suggest that a supportive preoperative tape can acquaint parents with the basis for anesthesiologists' concerns and facilitate the preoperative visit. Seeing an actual anesthetic may help to reassure parents about the anesthetic care their children will receive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)