Journal of Pediatric Psychology Advance Access originally published online on August 31, 2005
Journal of Pediatric Psychology 2006 31(8):859-861; doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsj072
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org
Commentary: Preparing Young Children for Medical Procedures: Taking Account of Memory
School of Psychology, University of New South Wales
All correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Karen Salmon, School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia. E-mail: k.salmon@unsw.edu.au.
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The importance of preparation for children undergoing medical procedures has long been recognized in pediatric psychology. Indeed, 30 years ago, Melamed and Siegel (1975)
stated that "there is a consensus that all children need some kind of psychological preparation for the hospital experience" (p. 511). The aims of preparation are typically twofold; to inform the child of the details of the experience, and to teach effective coping strategies. Whereas in earlier approaches, children were provided with procedural information and demonstration of the experience, recent interventions have involved the child and parent actively in cognitive behavioral "packages." Typical elements include coaching in coping skills, modeling by a coping peer (via video or slideshow), and behavioral rehearsal