Effectiveness of audiovisual materials as a preparation for surgery in pediatric patients

Research on paediatric surgical patients points to the urgent need to prepare them psychologically for hospitalization and surgery. In this respect, studies conducted outside Spain have shown that seeing a video on hospitalization and procedures for surgery is an effective technique for helping children and their parents to deal with this situation. The aim of the present work was to verify the effectiveness of this technique within the context of our hospitals. The results indicate that it is highly advisable to show such a video to patients and their parents before admission to hospital, since this: 1) clears up any doubts they might have; 2) gives a friendlier image of the hospital; 3) encourages parents to talk to their children; and 4) increases satisfaction among parents concerning the information they receive. One of the data which most clearly reflects the effectiveness of using the type of the audiovisual described is that 98.2% of parents would recommend other families to see it.