The prospect of surgery can be frightening for pediatric patients. They understand little about what is happening to them and, worse, will be separated from their parents and put in the care of total strangers. As a result, they become more shy, experience high levels of anxiety, feel a loss of control and can become very non-communicative. The extremely high level of anxiety that pediatric patien
ts experience can be a problem. Also, Pediatric patients have more difficulty maintaining body temperature during surgery than adult patients do. "SurgiCaps 4 Kids" has committed to create a year’s supply of surgical caps for pediatric patients, for our local hospital, using kid friendly, approved fabrics. Children get to keep the SurgiCaps that they receive. Similar caps have been used at hospitals in other states, and have helped pediatric patients gain a sense of control, lower their stress levels, maintain body temperature during surgery, and create a conversation entry point between the children and the healthcare providers. Once we meet our initial local goal, we hope to expand our program state-wide, and, eventually, nationally.
