Abstract

This study aims to investigate how preoperative education provided by nurses affects the reduction of preoperative patient concerns and distress. 185 children were randomly selected for the study. Since the questionnaire was dedicated only to the adolescent age group, the criteria for inclusion in the research was the age of subjects from 11 to 14 years. The Child Surgery Worries Questionnaire Adolescents Form was used, this questionnaire is a valuable and important tool for measuring the concerns related to the operation. Significant differences have been found between children who have gone through preoperative education and those who have not. Results from descriptive statistics analysis and t-test analysis have shown significant differences between children with interventions and those without interventions in the level of distress of separation from parents. Results from regression analyses haw shown differences between two groups (with intervention and without intervention) in the levels of concern about hospitalization, medical procedures and concern about illness.

Keywords: Preoperative education; Children; Adolescents; Distress management; Nurses; Health; Mental health