The effect of preoperative nutritional face-to-face counseling about child's fasting on parental knowledge, preoperative need-for-information, and anxiety, in pediatric ambulatory tonsillectomy

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to define how preoperative nutritional face-to-face counseling on child's fasting affects parental knowledge, preoperative need-for-information, and anxiety, in pediatric ambulatory tonsillectomy.

Methods: The participants in the prospective, randomly allocated study were parents (intervention 62/control 62) with children (4-10 years) admitted for ambulatory tonsillectomy. Data were collected by the knowledge test designed for the study and with The Amsterdam preoperative anxiety and information scale (APAIS). The intervention group was invited to a preoperative visit to receive written and verbal face-to-face counseling. They were initiated into the child's active preoperative nutrition. The parents of the control group received current information without face-to-face counseling.

Results: The parents followed the instructions. Their knowledge about the child's fast increased (p=0.003), and need-for-information and anxiety decreased (p<0.0001) significantly.

Conclusion: The preoperative face-to-face counseling with written information improves parental knowledge about the child's fasting and active preoperative nutrition, and relieves their need-for-information and anxiety.

Practice implications: The primary responsibility remains with the health care professionals when the active preoperative nutrition of the child and counseling on it are introduced into nursing practice.