Communicating with hospitalized children for invasive procedures usually takes place in a veiled and indirect way. This present study evaluated children's verbal report on the drawings that they produced in situations of the psychological preparation for surgery. The research was conducted with 30 participants divided into two preparation groups (verbal information and toys), users of a children's hospital who used the technique of drawing-story. There were three distinct stages: a) the child receives instruction on the design history and hears a story the day before the surgery; b) the psychological preparation, in both groups submitted to different programs of preparation, and c) reapplication of the technique of drawing-story, on the day of the surgery, after preparation. Both preparation programs were effective in reducing the pre-surgical stress, and evaluated the types of reactions, such as feelings of inferiority, abandonment and insecurity, regardless of the applied program.
Child psychology; Psychological preparation; Surgery in childhood
