PARENTAL UPSET ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPATION IN INDUCTION OF ANESTHESIA IN CHILDREN

To evaluate the magnitude of parental upset associated with participat ion in induction of anaesthesia in their child, we determined: (1) the features of induction most upsetting to parents; (2) the characterist ics of parents most likely to become upset; and (3) the accuracy of th e anaesthetist's perception of the magnitude of parental upset. The pa rents (101 mothers and 43 fathers) of 103 children scheduled for elect ive outpatient surgery requiring general anaesthesia with induction by mask were asked on admission to participate in this study. Parents an d children were educated about anaesthesia and surgery according to un it protocols. Immediately after induction of anaesthesia, the parents were asked to complete a demographic information sheet and the Parenta l Reactions to Anesthesia Induction Questionnaire. Responses were anal yzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. The most upset ting factors for both mothers and fathers in order of significance wer e: (1) separation from the child after induction of anaesthesia; (2) w atching/feeling the child go limp during induction, and (3) seeing the child upset before induction. Characteristics of parents most likely to become upset revealed positive correlations between the amount of u pset between mothers and fathers, mothers of an only child, and mother s or fathers who were health care workers (P < 0.05). The anaesthetist 's perception of upset correlated with maternal (P < 0.05), but not pa rental, self-assessment of upset. We conclude that selected factors of parental participation are upsetting for the parents and that recogni zing the factors associated with parental upset may enable operating r oom personnel to minimize these negative consequences.