PREOPERATIVE PSYCHOLOGICAL PREPARATION IN CHILDREN: CURRENT APPROACHES

Preoperative period is a stressful process for children and families. Providing psychological preparation for children during this period is important in order to reduce anxiety before surgery, provide adjustment and prevent negative consequences after the operation. Psychological preparation of children differs from adults. This process including children is approached in two ways as pharmacological and behavioral methods. Pharmacological methods include preoperative premedication. Behavioral methods include familiarizing parents and children with the hospital and operating room, therapeutic activities, reading books, drawing, child and parents remaining together during premedication, use of toys and visual tools as videos or tablets. It is important to practice these methods by taking children's age groups into consideration. Nurses should be conscious of characteristics of child development and provide a preoperative nursing intervention in accordance with the development. The aim of this study is to compile behavioral methods used for providing psychological preparation in compliance with developmental period of children during the preoperative period, in consideration of current approaches.