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Supporting Paediatric Patients: Parental Presence In The Anaesthetic Journey, Salina Blake

Journal of Perioperative Nursing

Objective

This discussion paper explores the use of parental presence during induction of anaesthesia as a method of decreasing paediatric and parental perioperative anxiety.

Setting

A perioperative department in an Australian public hospital.

Subjects

Paediatric patients and parents/guardians.

Primary argument

There is evidence to support the importance of parental presence in the anaesthetic setting; however, this varies between different health care facilities. This paper will argue that the presence of the parent during induction of anaesthesia will decrease the anxiety of the child. However, there has been little discussion about the pivotal role parents can play when participating in the …