Whether a nonwearable, screen-delivered augmented-reality animation adds measurable benefit to supportive pediatric perioperative care remains uncertain. Preoperative anxiety has been reported in up to 60% of children and can compromise cooperation during anesthesia induction . Higher anxiety has also been associated with adverse postoperative behavior and, after adenoid or tonsillar surgery, with emergence agitation and pain . These consequences make anxiety reduction clinically relevant, particularly during the rapid transition from the waiting area to induction. Nonpharmacological preparation is central to child-centered perioperative care. Recent reviews encompass education, therapeutic play, caregiver presence, distraction, and digital interventions, but they also show substantial clinical and methodological heterogeneity. Meta-analyses suggest that virtual-reality interventions can reduce anxiety and may improve cooperation, although pooled effects vary across devices, comparators, and study quality . The evidence therefore supports promise rather than a single optimal format. Recent trials illustrate both the potential and the contextual dependence of digital preparation. Procedure-specific trials in adenotonsillectomy have reported benefits from visual explanation and virtual-reality cartoons. Virtual-reality education has been associated with lower anxiety and better induction cooperation . An immersive operating-room digital twin also outperformed an otherwise similar two-dimensional video in one randomized trial. Video distraction combined with caregiver presence reduced anxiety during transport and mask introduction , whereas tablet distraction produced anxiety outcomes similar to midazolam in preschool children . Delivery mode alone, however, does not explain the observed effects. Another trial found similarly low anxiety with three-dimensional virtual reality and two-dimensional video when caregivers remained present . A short animation added to verbal preparation showed no statistically significant between-group difference, and immediate virtual-reality exposure was more useful than exposure several days earlier . After correction of the published abstract, head-mounted augmented reality was associated with lower anxiety at induction, but fitting, tolerance, and workflow differ from shared-screen delivery . Evidence remains limited for a longer, nonwearable animation delivered within supportive usual care to children undergoing adenotonsillectomy. The investigators in this study therefore conducted a prospective nonrandomized controlled study of children undergoing adenotonsillectomy at a tertiary hospital in China. The investigators evaluated whether adding a 30-40-min screen-delivered augmented-reality animation to supportive usual care was associated with anxiety trajectories and induction cooperation. By assessing children at three perioperative transitions, the study distinguishes attenuation of rising distress from complete prevention. The study report these behavioral outcomes and then interpret their clinical relevance within the constraints of date-based allocation.
Age range
3 Years – 12 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
The change from T0( in the waiting room ) the scores of anxiety of change at T1(entering the operating room)
Timeframe: From baseline assessment in the waiting room (T0) to entry into the operating room (T1), assessed over approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
The change from T1( entering the operating room)the scores of anxiety of change at T2( immediately before induction)
Timeframe: From entry into the operating room (T1) to immediately before induction of anesthesia (T2), assessed over approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
The change from T0(in the waiting room ) the heart rate of change at T1( entering the operating room)
Timeframe: From baseline assessment in the waiting room (T0) to entry into the operating room (T1), assessed over approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
The change from T1( entering the operating room)the heart rate of change at T2(before induction of anesthesia)
Timeframe: From entry into the operating room (T1) to immediately before induction of anesthesia (T2), assessed over approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
The change from T0(in the waiting room ) the systolic blood pressure of change at T1( entering the operating room)
Timeframe: From baseline assessment in the waiting room (T0) to entry into the operating room (T1), assessed over approximately 30 to 40 minutes.
The change from T1( entering the operating room)the systolic blood pressure of change at T2(before induction of anesthesia)
Timeframe: From entry into the operating room (T1) to immediately before induction of anesthesia (T2), assessed over approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
The degree of cooperation of children during anesthesia induction
Timeframe: At the time point immediately before induction of anesthesia (T2), assessed approximately 5 to 15 minutes after entry into the operating room.