Effect of interesting games on relief of preoperative anxiety in preschool children

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of interesting games on reducing preoperative anxiety and improving compliance with anaesthesia in children. Methods: Ninety preschool-aged children undergoing elective surgery were randomly assigned to two groups. The children in the control group were admitted to a general preoperative room with one parent for 15–20 min, and were then taken into the anaesthesia room. During anaesthetic induction, the nurse attracted the children's attention using an interesting game with encouragement and attention diversion. The children's anxiety was assessed using the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) when they entered the operating room, while they were waiting to undergo s0urgery, and during anaesthetic induction. Moreover, the children's compliance with anaesthetic induction was assessed using the Induction Compliance Checklist (ICC). Results: No statistically significant differences in the mYPAS scores were observed between the two groups upon entering the operating room (p > 0.05). The mYPAS scores were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group while waiting for surgery and during anaesthetic induction (p < 0.05), while there were no significant differences in the mYPAS scores upon entering the operating room. The children's compliance with anaesthetic induction was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Engagement in an interesting game can reduce preschool-aged children's preoperative anxiety and improve their compliance with anaesthetic induction