Authors (including presenting author) :
LAW N W(1), FUNG C P(1), KWOK C F(2), TO K Y(2), WONG P L(2), YUEN MYV(1), LEUNG W Y(2), MOK YT(1)(2)
Affiliation :
(1) Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
(2) Department of Surgery, Hong Kong Children’s Hospital
Introduction :
To experience a surgical journey is one of the most important events of everyone’s life, especially for the children. Parental absence, new environment or reduced control over the situation further debilitate the child. Any unfavourable experience in this circumstance shadows the soothing effort of the healthcare providers. (Kar, 2015). Exaggerated sense of helplessness crawls over the child’s mind sometimes lead to serious psychological consequences to the children.
This presentation is a pilot and narrative presentation of process on developing a new antianxiety measure for paediatric patients preoperatively.
Objectives :
To develop a new antianxiety measure for paediatric patients preoperatively.
Methodology :
(1) Staff Interviews: Engage staff in developing the new tool.
An interview conduct in the staff meeting in Feb 2019. All of the nurses reflected these patients have highest level of anxiety during transporting into the theatre room by hospital transporter.
(2) Preparation: Gain the support from Management team
5 bright coloured toy cars, mobile and manual, were procured in Mar 2019. The toy cars could be used as transport aids for all patients from 1 year to 7 years old, without pre-medication and IV lines.
Infection Control team and Quality & Safety team have been consulted. Briefing was given to all nursing staff and the supporting ones. It included the applicable patient groups, operation steps, cleansing methods and maintenance measures.
(3) Implementation of the new tool
New measure implementation is not always a challenge. Nurses and supporting staff explored the joyfulness of the children in a ride-on toy car. It helped to promulgate the new measure on their initiatives.
From April 2019 till now, majority of patients meeting the criteria have used toy car as transportation into the operating room.
Result & Outcome :
So far we have positive experience in our patients and parents. Positive comments were extracted from the post-operative experience survey. Positive feedback from the ward nurses were also collected.
After this, the staff are going to extend the antianxiety measure to the whole preoperative journey. It starts on promulgating transport of a paediatric inpatient in a children's ride-on toy car from the surgical ward to the operating theatre.
Next phase, there would be a proper prospective studies on reviewing the effectiveness of a toy car for relieving anxiety of paediatric patients preoperatively.
It is always difficult to manage fearful child for surgery. Transport in a ride-on toy car gained positive feedback from patients and parents.
Moreover, staff engagement in the continuous improvement project could help on the extension of these antianxiety measure.
