Mixed-method Research Protocol: Evaluation of a Relaxation Technique for Anxiety Management in Pre-surgical Pediatric Patients

Children exhibit anxiety before surgery: in particular, the literature reports that younger children have a higher level of preoperative anxiety than older children. Preoperative anxiety has been associated with side effects such as postoperative pain and emergence delirium (ED), which are generally treated with the administration of analgesics but can cause nausea, vomiting, and drowsiness.

In addition to pharmacological strategies, there are behavioral and psychological techniques commonly referred to as nonpharmacological techniques to reduce preoperative anxiety. These are a broad set of strategies and methods, more or less complex, that can be applied to children and adolescents to help them cope with preoperative agitation and for pain control.

Nonpharmacological techniques include distraction techniques that have shown promise in reducing pediatric anxiety and include listening to music , the use of humor, and the use of games . Several researchers have found active distraction to be an effective preoperative anxiolytic in children. Of relevant importance for reducing preoperative anxiety are relaxation techniques as shown in the literature and in particular by a randomized trial that demonstrated the effectiveness of this type of proposed nonpharmacological technique for reducing anxiety and pain in pediatric patients in a preoperative setting.

This study plan to investigate the effectiveness of a breathing/relaxation intervention (Ladybug/Sunshine method) on pediatric patients' anxiety levels before surgery.