Zarqa hospital surgeons ‘lighten up’ atmosphere for young patients’ comfort

AMMAN — Believing in the importance of the psychological state of young patients, surgeons Nayef Abdallat and Motasem Otein have launched an initiative to reduce their anxiety before surgery.

The two surgeons bought a toy car for child patients at the Zarqa Public Hospital who have surgery appointments and checkups. The car is used to transfer them from their rooms to the operating theatre, without them realising they are about to enter it.

“We started the initiative around two weeks ago, when we had two patients over two consecutive days lose control before entering the operating theatre,” Abdallat told The Jordan Times on Sunday.

He said the child’s situation before the surgery affects the whole family’s psychological state — especially the mother. 

“It’s like the child is entering a new, different world, a scary place… [The child] clings to his mother and the nurses before going into the operating room. We tried to make the pre-surgery process easier for both the child and the mother,” Abdallat added.

“Children, when carried on the patient trolley, feel uncomfortable, since it’s a huge space for them. It makes them anxious, especially that the hospital has many floors,” he said.

The initiative is for children between the ages of one and six, the surgeon said, adding that children are given a remote when placed in the car; “this reduces the stress, especially when there is a nurse next to them”.

“This enables child patients to feel at ease before the surgery. They can move the car as if they are playing; the idea of a hospital in their minds changes completely,” he continued.

Medical staff, Abdallat said, “should always pay attention to the psychological state of patients and family members”. 

Hospitals can make adults nervous, he noted.

“When the doctor reassures patients and simplifies the process for them, it makes them enter a different, more positive psychological state,” Abdallat said.

“We try to accompany the children before they enter the operating room. While driving the car, we tell them they are going for a walk around the rooms. Female nurses and doctors play an important role in this process,” he added.