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The use of mobile devices by parents to keep their kids occupied is fairly well established, but a new study indicates that those devices' calming effect may even be useful for surgeries. 。
A new study being published by the World Federation Of Societies of Anaesthesiologists (WFSA) claims that giving a child an iPad to use before surgery can be as relaxing as a sedative. 。
SEE ALSO:McDonald's recalls Happy Meal fitness tracker。"Our study showed that child and parental anxiety before anaesthesia are equally blunted by midazolam or use of the iPad," Dr. Dominique Chassard said in a statement released in the run-up to the release of the group's research findings. 。
Use of iPads or other tablet devices is a non-pharmacologic tool which can reduce perioperative stress 。
"However, the quality of induction of anaesthesia, as well as parental satisfaction, were judged better in the iPad group. Use of iPads or other tablet devices is a non-pharmacologic tool which can reduce perioperative stress without any sedative effect in paediatric ambulatory surgery."。
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The findings, which tested over 100 children using a mix of iPads and midazolam (a widely used sedative), was conducted by Chassard and his colleagues at the Hopital Mere Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon in France. 。
The iPad study comes nearly a year the American Academy of Pediatrics reversed its position on mobile devices and their potential negative effects on children. 。
Of course, using such a small number of research subjects means the study's results aren't necessarily a guarantee that tablets are a pre-surgery cure-all for pediatric anxiety.。
Nevertheless, it offers another data point which indicates that giving children tablets to mitigate stressful situations may have more positive effects than not. 。
The study's findings are set to be presented at this week's World Congress of Anaesthesiologists event being held in Hong Kong. 。