COMPARISON OF 3 DIFFERENT METHODS FOR REDUCING THE LEVEL OF PERIOPERATIVE ANXIETY IN CHILDREN AGED 4-7: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY

Pre-operative patient education was given to the children in the first experimental group by the service nurse. The children in the second experimental group were given pre-operative patient education by the service nurse, in addition, patient visits were provided by the operating room nurse and the operating room environment was explained through play. The children in the third experimental group were given pre-operative patient education by the service nurse, after which they listened to the mother's voice recording and loving words until they went to the operating room. It was determined that 69.7% of the mothers of the children participating in the study were 30 years and older, 81.8% were married, 37.9% were undergraduate graduates, and 51.5% were unemployed. The general anxiety disorder levels of those who had no previous surgery experience were found significantly higher than those who had previous surgery experience (p<0.05). In terms of affecting the anxiety level, there was a significant difference between the preoperative methods (p<0.05). It was determined that the education given by both the service nurse and the operating room nurse together was more effective than other methods in reducing the anxiety levels of children, and there was a statistically significant difference between them. (p<0.05)