iPads as effective as sedatives in reducing pre-surgery anxiety in children

iPads and tablets can be found in nearly every home in the U.S. The nearly unlimited number of apps provides endless possibilities for learning and entertainment. iPads have been proven effective in distracting children before a surgery where general anesthesia is required, reducing patient anxiety as well as sedatives.

Parents were also shown to be more satisfied and the quality of anesthesia induction was higher in the children who used iPads.

The findings were presented at the World Congress of Anesthesiologists in Hong Kong. Conducted by Dominique Chassard, MD, PhD, with the Hospices Civils de Lyon in France, and colleagues, the study focused on comparing the effects of the anxiety reducing drug midazolam with playing games through apps on the iPad. The study included 54 children taking midazolam and 58 using the iPad 20 minutes before anesthesia was given.

While the anxiety levels in both child and parents in both groups remained consistent with each other, the children who used iPads before surgery were found to have better reactions to anesthesia.  

"Our study showed that child and parental anxiety before anesthesia are equally blunted by midazolam or use of the iPad,” said Chassard in a prior statement. “However, the quality of induction of anesthesia, as well as parental satisfaction, were judged better in the iPad group. Use of iPads or other tablet devices is a non-pharmacologic tool that can reduce perioperative stress without any sedative effect in pediatric ambulatory surgery."