Issues regarding parents in the operating room during their children's care.

The presence of parents in the operating room does have possible legal ramifications. Taking an upset child from a parent's arms, however, is not a positive situation either. Perioperative nurses should not automatically weigh legal implications more heavily than the patient benefit that may be derived from the presence of parents. Whether parents should or should not be allowed to accompany their children into the operating room should be a carefully considered institutional policy.