The position of a written document in preoperative information for paediatric surgery: A randomized controlled trial on parental anxiety, knowledge and satisfaction

Abstract Introduction Pre operative information is a legal and ethical obligation. Very little studies have evaluated the preoperative information method in Paediatrics. Having a child operated is stressful for the parents. Improving information is a way to lower their anxiety. Our study aims to measure the impact of a leaflet, which support spoken information on parental anxiety, the comprehension-memorisation of the information and their satisfaction. Materials & methods Prospective study including 178 patients of outpatient surgery, randomised in two groups: spoken information versus spoken information supported by a leaflet, which is then handed out to the parents. The messages were identical: physiopathology, risks without treatment, surgical technique and its possible complications, description of the hospitalization day, postoperative care. Parental evaluation was made with self-questionnaires after the preoperative consultation, then on the day of surgery. At each moment we evaluated the level of anxiety, satisfaction of information quality and the comprehension-memorization of the data. Results Written information significantly improves the scores of comprehensionmemorization, parental satisfaction and significantly decreases the level of anxiety. Conclusion Significant impact of the written document as communication support in paediatric surgery, validating the method and encouraging it to be generalised to other paediatric surgery acts. Level of evidence: Level I Type of study: Prognosis study.