Parental participation during induction stage of children's anesthetic procedures in Israel.

Recognition of the long-term emotional effects on children being hospitalized for surgery and changes in the perception of children's rights have led to changes in nursing care on pediatric surgical wards and in staff attitudes. The tendency has been to involve the parents as much as possible in the pre-surgical procedure, thus decreasing anxiety and fear both in parents and children. The nursing staff at Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel has implemented a new policy and procedure for admitting children to the operating room. Parents are permitted to accompany the child to the operating room and to stay until the child falls asleep. The parents' presence contributes to the child's mental and emotional health and increases the child's self-confidence. Our experience indicates that parental participation facilitates the anesthetic procedure and makes it less traumatic. We conclude that parents, participation during surgical induction plays an important role in helping the child cope with this traumatic experience.