THE EFFECT OF A HYPNOTIC-BASED ANIMATED VIDEO ON STRESS AND PAIN REDUCTION IN PEDIATRIC SURGERY.

Presurgical stress and its negative influences on postsurgical recovery and pain are well documented in the medical literature. Hence, the reduction of stress is advisable. The present study aimed to reduce stress using a hypnotic-based animated video. Thirty children aged 3 to 16 years hospitalized for ambulatory surgery for undescended testes or umbilical/inguinal hernia were recruited for the study. They watched the video 1 time prior to surgery in the presence of their parents and reported their anxiety and pain pre- and postvideo watching on a visual analogue scale. The results show a statistically significant reduction in both anxiety and pain. The article describes the structuring of the animated video and includes links to English, Hebrew, and Arabic versions of it.