Background: One of the most frequently reported emotions in children in the setting of surgery or a medical procedure is anxiety. Currently, many interventions are used to assist with the perioperative reduction in anxiety for both parent and child. Perioperative teaching has been shown to decrease the anxiety level of the parent, in turn decreasing the anxiety level of children prior to surgery.Methods: A quasi experimental study was conducted involving 50 parents of children having surgery at a Same Day Surgery Center. Twenty-five of the parents were educated by a CLS with 25 receiving education from a CLS and a CRNA. The Amsterdam Preoperative Information and Anxiety Scale (APAIS) containing six questions was administered before and after education to each group. Reduction in anxiety was compared between the two groups to determine if there was a significant difference regarding parental anxiety when a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist was involved in the standardized teaching plan.Findings: There was no significant reduction in parental anxiety when the two teaching groups were compared. A significant reduction in parental anxiety was noted with regard to surgical anxiety when a CRNA was included in teaching with a standardized pediatric preoperative teaching plan. Conclusion: A multidisciplinary approach to teaching prior to the operative experience was beneficial in reducing parental anxiety.
