[Evaluation of the effect of hospital clown's performance about anxiety in children subjected to surgical intervention]

Abstract

Objective: To be hospitalized is a highly distressing event for children. At present, a resort used in Spain and other countries to reduce children's anxiety in the health context are hospital's clown. We studied the effect of the hospital's clowns about the anxiety in children that going to be operated.

Methods: We recruited 60 children aged 6 to 10 years scheduled to undergo elective surgery. 30 children would have clowns before the surgery (case group) and 30 would not have them (control group). In the case group, two clowns performed for children. We measured the anxiety with several scales (STAIC, CCPH, faces scale), after the performance and until 7 days after the surgery.

Results: The outcomes show both groups a tendency to increase anxiety but the children of the case group showed less increase at the anxiety's score. In the control group is showed that the children are more alterated at seven days from the discharge.

Conclusions: Children that receive the clown's care, have tendency to be less distressing and with less fear that another ones, measurement by STAIC and faces scale, and these results are maintained seven days after the discharge.