The concerns of children and parents prepared for surgery under general anaesthesia — a review of the literature

Introduction. Surgery, regardless of age, sex, place of residence, the system in which it is performed, the method of operation or anaesthesia may arouse anxiety of varying intensity, both in children and parents. Since the first phase of the perioperative period, through the second one, associated with anaesthesia and surgery itself, and the third one connected with postoperative period, family members (parents and children) are experiencing a number of concerns and needs that may affect the appearance of anxiety.

Aim. Identify the concerns, targeting actions conducive to minimizing the anxiety of the family and increasing the level of safety and satisfaction during the entire perioperative period.

Material and method. EBSCO, Elsevier, Springer, Wiley-Blackwell, Web of Knowledge, Scopus database search and Nature and Science journals search in the time range from 2004 to 2014 was conducted. To identify the relevant bibliography, a number of oneor multiple-word terms, related to issues such as: anxiety, anaesthesia, surgery, general anaesthesia, parents, children, were used.

Results. There are a number of factors that may affect the appearance of the anxiety associated with surgery under general anaesthesia, the existence of which is related to, among others, the current state of knowledge of the family, the history of experiences relating to hospital and surgery, as well as the child’s personality and development.

Conclusions. Lack of or insufficient information regarding perioperative procedures, failure to identify concerns, may imply anxiety, increase its intensity associated with the upcoming surgery and recovery after surgery among both parents and children. Respecting the needs, feelings and professional approach of the medical staff results in reducing the perioperative anxiety of the family (parents and children), provides security and confidence throughout the treatment and care during a surgery under general anaesthesia.

Nursing Topics 2015; 23 (1): 128–133