The Psychosocial Experiences and Needs of Children Undergoing Surgery and Their Parents: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Surgery in children can be difficult for patients and parents. We aimed to summarize pediatric patients' and parents' psychosocial experiences and needs in surgery.

Method: We used the Ovid search engine and screened 877 abstracts across three databases to extract data on pediatric patients' and parents' surgical experiences.

Results: Our search yielded 11 eligible studies representing 1,307 children undergoing surgery and their parents. Children's adverse experiences included psychological and behavioral changes before, during, and after surgery (e.g., anxiety, eating disturbances). Parents commonly experienced psychological distress. Children's needs related to medical and health care services, whereas parents had high information needs.

Discussion: Children's adverse experiences can negatively affect medical outcomes. Children's experiences are inextricably linked to their parents' and can become negatively affected by their parents' adverse experiences. Patients and parents with previous hospitalizations and surgeries had worse surgical experiences, highlighting further research in the context of chronic illness.