The effect of interactive games compared to painting on preoperative anxiety in Iranian children: A randomized clinical trial

Background and aims: An important responsibility of nurses is to optimize children's physiological and psychological health and to help them adapt to their new conditions and anxiety. In this study, we compare the effect of interactive games and painting on preoperative anxiety in Iranian children. Methods: This pre-post randomized clinical trial was conducted on 172 children aged 3-12 years undergoing elective surgery and randomly divided into three groups, including interactive games group (n = 64), painting group (n = 55), and control group (n = 53). The children's anxiety was assessed using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS). Results: The results showed significant differences between the three groups (P < 0.001). Also, results showed that the mean anxiety score was significantly lower in the painting group. Conclusion: Based on these conclusions, nurses should collaborate with medical teams to routinely use non-pharmacological methods such as the painting and the interactive games to alleviate preoperative anxiety in children.