Pediatric ambulatory anesthesia: role of parents.

Preschool children depend on their parents for support and guidance in dealing with new or stressful situations. When requested, the parents should be allowed to support their children during ambulatory surgical procedures, especially during the induction of anesthesia. With proper understanding on our part, and with proper preparation and counseling, the parents can become our allies and help to smooth the experience for the child, for the staff, and for themselves. Future efforts should be directed at studying the effects of different methods of preoperative preparation and counselling on the parents' attitude and cooperation during induction.