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Bookbased Emotion and Anxiety Reduction
Sponsor: Insel Gruppe AG, University Hospital Bern
Summary
Many children are afraid of surgery and anesthesia. Studies show that up to 60% of children experience significant anxiety before a scheduled procedure. This fear is caused, for example, by the unfamiliar hospital environment, separation from parents, worry about pain, or because they do not know exactly what will happen. Severe anxiety before surgery can complicate the procedure and is linked to higher stress, increased post-operative pain perception, and behavioral changes. This study investigates whether a specially developed, age-appropriate children's book can help reduce anxiety before surgery. The book explains the anesthesia and surgical procedure in a child-friendly way using pictures and simple text. Children aged 4 to 10 who are undergoing surgery at the Inselspital Bern for an inguinal, umbilical, or ventral hernia can participate. A total of 50 children are to be included. The children will be randomly divided into two groups: One group receives the children's book to prepare at home. The other group receives the usual preparation without the book. The children's anxiety is measured using an established observation scale - once during the preliminary examination and again on the day of surgery before anesthesia. In addition, several contributing factors are recorded, such as how well the child cooperates during the induction of anesthesia or how much anesthetic medication is required. Parents will complete a short questionnaire regarding their own anxiety. Participation involves minimal risk. Only a children's book is provided, and the children's behavior is observed. No additional medical interventions are planned. The aim of the study is to test whether a simple, cost-effective, and easily implementable tool - a children's book - can effectively reduce anxiety before surgery. If the book proves to be helpful, it could be routinely used to prepare children for surgery in the future.
Official title: Bookbased Emotion and Anxiety Reduction: A Children's Storybook Intervention to Reduce Preoperative Fear, a Single-center Prospective Randomized Controlled Trial
Key Details
Gender
All
Age Range
4 Years - 10 Years
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Enrollment
50
Start Date
2026-11-01
Completion Date
2028-04
Last Updated
2026-09-10
Healthy Volunteers
No
Conditions
Interventions
Reading a childrens book to prepare for the surgery
A book that has been especially designed for this study, a children's story, that could prepare children before undergoing surgery will be handed out to the children and their caregivers. They should read it before surgery.
Standard Care (in control arm)
Children do not receive this book
Locations (1)
Children's Hospital, Inselspital, University Hospital Bern
Bern, Canton of Bern, Switzerland