Chess eases child anxiety during surgery

Young patients at Medway Maritime Hospital are being offered innovative distraction and relaxation techniques as a way of easing anxiety linked to surgery.

Teenager Calum Griffin, from Medway, was one of the first patients to trial this treatment after hospital staff supported him to play chess during a minor foot operation, while he was awake and under local anaesthetic. Theatre staff also helped 15-year-old Calum focus on deep breathing and other relaxation techniques, such as guided imagery, which involved imagining that he was playing video games at home and eating his favourite foods.

As a result of this individualised surgery plan that was designed specifically for Calum’s needs, the operation was a success and Calum was able to go home straight away without spending recovery time in hospital.

Importantly, this innovative form of treatment avoids the need for a general anaesthetic – a state of controlled unconsciousness – which can be linked to a longer period of recovery. It also helps to ease anxiety in patients, reduce pain, improve patient and parent experience, and free up hospital beds.

Dr Samantha Black, Consultant Paediatric and Perioperative Anaesthetist at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said:

“Anaesthetic anxiety is a common challenge for anaesthetists, anaesthetic practitioners, and the wider team. Recognising and managing this with our young patients can have many benefits, helping to minimise their distress, and that of their families and staff looking after them.

“If not managed well, this can have consequences such as the child needing greater amounts of anaesthetic, increased delirium, pain and sickness, and delayed recovery, ultimately spending more time in hospital.

“We are very proud to be working with our young patients and their families to offer this innovative and personally-designed hospital experience. We hope it will inspire others to provide more of this treatment.’’

Research shows that almost 75 per cent of children experience anxiety in the anaesthetic room, while 60 per cent develop behavioural disturbance in the weeks after surgery, such as tantrums or school refusal.

Calum’s mum, Laura Waller, who works in nursing as a Clinical Sister at Medway Maritime Hospital, said:

‘’We are really pleased with the experience overall – although there was some initial fear about pain linked to the operation and the local anaesthetic injection, the staff really eased this throughout with their care and distraction techniques.

 ‘’The chess match really kept his brain engaged and helped take his mind off the operation – he even won the game!

‘’We hope that Calum can inspire other children and young adults to have minor operations in this way under local anaesthetic – it means that he was feeling better far more quickly, was able to go home sooner, and there was less risk associated to the procedure. As a mum, I was less stressed knowing that Calum wouldn’t be put to sleep, and he came out of the theatre with a big smile on his face.’’