Parental Presence during Induction of Anesthesia versus Sedative Premedication 

Abstract

Under the conditions of this study, oral midazolam is more effective than either parental presence or no intervention for managing a child's and parent's anxiety during the preoperative period.

An evidence-based review of parental presence during anesthesia induction and parent/child anxiety

“…[2][3][4][9][10][11][12]14,15 Six studies found no difference between the two. [2][3][4]11,12,15 One study found that parental presence fared better than no parental presence; however, it used parents' self-reports to measure anxiety, so bias (parents thinking that their presence made a difference when it might not have) may have been a problem in this study. 10 The remaining two studies found mixed results (sometimes parental presence fared better, sometimes no parental presence fared better, or sometimes there was no difference between the two).…”

“…In another RCT, Kain et al 12 examined 88 parents and their children aged 2-8 years classified as ASA physical status I or II undergoing general anesthesia and elective outpatient surgery at Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. The children were randomized into three groups according to a random numbers table.…”

The effects of clown intervention on worries and emotional responses in children undergoing surgery

“…Parental anxiety is also very common during the child's hospitalization (Kain, Mayes, Wang, Caramico, & Hofstadter, 1998;Shirley, Thompson, Kenward, & Johnston, 1998). …”

Administration of midazolam as sedative premedication for paediatric patients

“…Studies report that sedative premedication is more important and effective than alternative preoperative anxiety management strategies. However, combined modalities yield best results (11,12).…”