• S D Amanor-Boadu.
• Department of Anaesthesia, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
• West Afr J Med. 2002 Jan 1;21(1):28-30.

AbstractThe effect of parental presence at induction of anaesthesia on one hundred and eighteen children presenting for day-case inguinal operations and the behaviour of the attending parents at induction were studied. Of the 24 children aged 5 years and below whose parents at were present at induction, 25% were distressed, while 80% of 36 children of this age group whose parents were absent showed distress. Better behaviour was observed among the children who were above 5 years of age. When parents were present 7% of 28 children cried while 20% of 30 children cried when parents were absent. In both age groups induction heart rates were significantly higher in the children whose parents were absent. All parents except one who cried and another one who was too anxious, were helpful at induction and they would welcome the same opportunity to be present at the children's induction.

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