Literature has recommended psychological preparation due to the likelihood of increasing treatment adhesion rates and reduced anticipatory anxiety. However, its use requires interventions that are more systematic which lead to more consistent results. This study characterizes psychological preparation interventions developed in pediatric psychology services in Brazilian federal public university hospitals. We used a self-administered electronic questionnaire completed via the Internet. Twenty-five psychologists linked to 11 hospitals participated in the study. Although all participants have referred to the use of psychological preparation, 10 adopted different designations, and only nine conducted any kind of evaluation results. We have not determined a theoretical or methodological consensus regarding nomenclature, objectives, techniques and execution procedures amongst the participants. This study claims that there is a need to develop scientific research into psychological preparation which uses different techniques and/or resources and which aims to demonstrate more precise functional relationships between intervention and effects, in order to establish guidelines for practical action.
Hospitals university; Psychological preparation; ediatric psychology
