Clinical Research Directory

An Innovative Tailored Intervention for Improving Children's Postoperative Recovery (WebTIPS)

The goal of this randomized trial is to examine the effectiveness of a tailored Internet-based Preparation Program (WebTIPS) in reducing anxiety and improving the recovery process in children undergoing surgery. Two hospitals and all parent-child dyads will be randomized to either a Web-based Tailored Intervention Preparation for Surgery (WebTIPS) Group or to a Web-based Information (WebINFO) Group, the attention control group. The WebTIPS group will receive the newly developed intervention with short message service (SMS), while the WebINFO Group will only receive an internet and mobile platform with information on the management of preoperative anxiety and perioperative pain. The aims of this study are to: Primary aim: Quality of Clinical Care: Determine whether and to what extent WebTIPS is more effective than an attention control intervention in reducing preoperative anxiety among children ages 1-12 years old undergoing anesthesia and outpatient surgery. Secondary aims: Quality of Clinical Care: 1. Examine the impact of WebTIPS on Post-Anesthesia care unit based postoperative clinical recovery parameters, such as pain and emergence delirium. 2. Examine the impact of WebTIPS on home-based postoperative clinical recovery parameters such as pain, new onset behavioral changes and return to normal daily activity over 2 weeks. 3. Determine if the use of WebTIPS reduces parental preoperative anxiety. Experience of Care: Examine the effects of WebTIPS on parental satisfaction with the overall experience of the surgical episode.