Tricks Of The Trade In Pre-Op

Iker was sulking when he arrived in pre-op because he was hungry. To keep his mind off the hunger, our nurse Cathy and translator Tim (in background) started a “futbol” game! 

 

Spending time in hospital can be very stressful for children and their parents, and seeing (or hearing!) distressed children is a normal occurrence in any hospital. For some Ecuadorian children, their CAMTA experience is their first encounter with a major city's hospital. The fear of the unknown or the new smells and strange sounds can unsettle them quickly. To prepare for their surgery, it is important to restrict water and food intake 6 hours before the procedure, which makes them even more irritable!

 

The pre-operation team has the important role of greeting, reassuring and preparing patients before their surgeries. To calm the children and gain their trust despite the language barrier, the CAMTA team relies on the soothing words of our translators and on tricks of the trade like stickers, stuffed toys, games, bubbles and funny faces. It is no small task, but the nurses and lay people succeed in making a smooth transition from the pre-op room to the surgical suite.

Milena was charmed by Cathy's bubbles!