Advantages from a preoperative educational program for children on cardiac surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Interaction among a hospitalized child and his family and the physical, psychological and social factors from the hospital atmosphere, causes a level of stress due to a surgical procedure.

Objective: To evaluate the advantages from a preoperative educational program about the medical treatment and nursing care in the post operative stress level changes and pain in the hospitalized child who has been scheduled to cardiac surgery.

Methodology: An intervention research was made in a pediatric population, selecting a randomized control group and an experimental group, to which was implemented an educational program with table, grammatical and video games adapted to post surgical therapy procedures. In both groups was evaluated the stress level and pain before and after surgery. The data was analyzed trough descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: Significantly differences were found between both groups about their stress level and pain. Gastrointestinal bleeding was present on 189 children, most frequently among control group children, as well as respiratory distress syndrome.

Discussion: It was observed that children who were prepared on the pre-operative phase with the suggested educational methodology, showed a stress level lower than children who received the ordinary preparation.