Purpose

The perioperative setting is a common site of pediatric anxiety and distress. Perioperative anxiety in pediatric patients can result in uncooperative behavior, poor postoperative outcomes, and trauma. Given the fast-paced nature of the perioperative environment, many anxiety measures are too time consuming for clinical implementation prior to surgery. Pediatric anesthesiologists need reliable and efficient assessment tools to quickly measure childhood distress to target prophylactic and therapeutic interventions.