AzTrials
AzTrials

AnxietyPhase 2NCT00176670

A GameBoy as a Distraction Before Surgery in Children

A Phase 2 study testing midazolam or GameBoy or parental presence in people with Anxiety, run by University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

Preoperative anxiety is characterized by subjective feelings of tension, apprehension, nervousness and worry. In children, preoperative anxiety is reported to result in postoperative negative psychological effects, including nightmares, separation anxiety, eating problems and increased fear of doctors. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 4 to 16 years
Conditions the study is for
Anxiety
What is being tested?
midazolam or GameBoy or parental presence
How many people
158 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jan 2004to Apr 2006
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 4 to 16 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Male or female patients ages 4 years to 16 years
  • ASA rating of I-II
  • Mask induction of general anesthesia

Who cannot join

  • Emergency Surgery
  • Children who have developmental disabilities or chronic illness
  • Children who have had repetitive surgeries.
  • Families who do not have a telephone

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • New Jersey Medical School

    Newark, New Jersey, 07103

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Is Preoperative Distraction With a Hand Held Game Boy as Effective as Midazolam in Reducing Preoperative Anxiety Levels in Children?

Preoperative anxiety is characterized by subjective feelings of tension, apprehension, nervousness and worry. In children, preoperative anxiety is reported to result in postoperative negative psychological effects, including nightmares, separation anxiety, eating problems and increased fear of doctors. Anxiety in children can be expressed in many forms. Many children look scared, become agitated, breathe deeply, tremble, and stop talking or playing and start to cry. They may unexpectedly urinate or may actively attempt to escape from the medical personnel. These reactions reflect the child's fear of separation from the parents, as well as loss of control, unfamiliar routines, instruments and hospital procedures [1].

Previous studies have assessed anxiety in children during the preoperative period and the effects of premedication and parental presence during induction of anesthesia (PPIA) [2]. Midazolam has been proven to reduce preoperative anxiety in children [3]. Side effects related to oral midazolam administered to healthy children are minimal and the drug can be reversed with flumazenil but post operative recovery may be delayed in those children undergoing a short surgical procedure. It is the experience of the investigator that there are some children who have such low levels of anxiety they do not require any intervention

Read more

Distraction may be particularly helpful in children ages 6-12 as these children may not receive preoperative medication due to their curiosity about the environment. Previous studies regarding distraction therapy have focused on the parent either blowing bubbles or reading to a child [4]. Studies where the child is actively engaged in a distraction activity have not been documented.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether in the presence of a parent an interactive distraction intervention, i.e. Game Boy which is a hand held video game, is as effective as preoperative Midazolam in reducing preoperative anxiety. This study may help in the search for a low cost and easy to implement method of reducing anxiety for children undergoing surgery.

Read the detailed description

Preoperative anxiety is characterized by subjective feelings of tension, apprehension, nervousness and worry. In children, preoperative anxiety is reported to result in postoperative negative psychological effects, including nightmares, separation anxiety, eating problems and increased fear of doctors. Anxiety in children can be expressed in many forms. Many children look scared, become agitated, breathe deeply, tremble, and stop talking or playing and start to cry. They may unexpectedly urinate or may actively attempt to escape from the medical personnel. These reactions reflect the child's fear of separation from the parents, as well as loss of control, unfamiliar routines, instruments and hospital procedures [1].

Previous studies have assessed anxiety in children during the preoperative period and the effects of premedication and parental presence during induction of anesthesia (PPIA) [2]. Midazolam has been proven to reduce preoperative anxiety in children [3]. Side effects related to oral midazolam administered to healthy children are minimal and the drug can be reversed with flumazenil but post operative recovery may be delayed in those children undergoing a short surgical procedure. It is the experience of the investigator that there are some children who have such low levels of anxiety they do not require any intervention

Distraction may be particularly helpful in children ages 6-12 as these children may not receive preoperative medication due to their curiosity about the environment. Previous studies regarding distraction therapy have focused on the parent either blowing bubbles or reading to a child [4]. Studies where the child is actively engaged in a distraction activity have not been documented.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether in the presence of a parent an interactive distraction intervention, i.e. Game Boy which is a hand held video game, is as effective as preoperative Midazolam in reducing preoperative anxiety. This study may help in the search for a low cost and easy to implement method of reducing anxiety for children undergoing surgery.

Conditions
Anxiety
Being tested
midazolam or GameBoy or parental presence
Keywords
presurgical anxiety, children,
Medical subject headings
Anxiety Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • midazolam or GameBoy or parental presenceDrug

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. 10-14 days post hospitalization behavioral questionnaire

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted15 Sep 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2004
  3. Primary completionApr 2006
  4. Study completionApr 2006

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 2
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
158 participants
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00176670
Sponsor's protocol ID
0120030315
Status last verified
Jun 2008
First submitted
13 Sep 2005
Last updated
6 Oct 2016
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing midazolam or GameBoy or parental presence in people with Anxiety, run by University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Oct 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Oct 2016.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in