For children<\/strong><\/span> who require surgery<\/span>, it is advisable to have one<\/span> or both<\/span> of the parents present<\/span>. A child who has just been wounded is already distressed by the experience and may need a parent nearby.<\/span><\/p>\n Parents who are present during surgery can play an important role in handling the child\u2019s anxiety during this stressful situation; young children are hardly capable of dealing with this type of situation alone. The supportive role of the parents also applies to hospitalisation in a paediatric hospital, where parents are often given the option to stay overnight with the sick child.<\/span><\/p>\n Particularly for non-acute procedures<\/span>, ample time should be set aside to show the child that this will be a new experience that may not be entirely pleasant.<\/span><\/p>\n During the operation<\/strong><\/span>, the assistant can also play an important role in calming the child by telling a story or showing them a picture book. An older child (aged > 6 years<\/em>) may express interest in what is happening and may be engaged in this manner.<\/span><\/p>\n In summary, we advise having one or both of the parents present during the operation, provided that they are capable of doing so. A parent that expresses obvious anxiety will not have a calming effect on the child. Adequate counselling of the child is very important.<\/span><\/p>\n All counselling and support regarding surgery must be tailored to the socio-cultural background<\/strong><\/span> and educational level<\/strong><\/span> of the parents and child.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For children who require surgery, it is advisable to have one or both of the parents present. A child who has just been wounded is already distressed by the experience and may need a parent nearby. Parents who are present during surgery can play an important role in handling the child\u2019s anxiety during this stressful […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[146],"class_list":["post-764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-approach-to-the-patient","tag-minor-surgery"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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