Assessment of Parents' Informational Needs before Pediatric Day Care Surgery in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia

Authors' ORCID

Raghad Y. Shosho: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0519-8111

Raed M. Babukur: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8781-4671

Sultan M. Banser: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5616-8201

Sarah S. Almohammadi: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3746-9231

Muhannad M. Alharbi: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6667-8185

Thekra A. Alwafi: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6100-2311

Shahad S. Alkabkabi: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8349-9423

Keywords

Day care surgery, Parental informational needs, Pediatric surgery, Patient-centered care, Preoperative communication

Document Type

Research Article

Abstract

Introduction Pediatric surgical procedures can be highly stressful for children and their parents due to factors such as limited understanding, lack of control, and anxiety. The study aims to assess the informational needs of parents of children scheduled to undergo day care surgery in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted over six months. The study included parents or caregivers of children scheduled for day care surgery in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia.A convenient sampling techniques was used for participant selection. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results The study included 380 participants and assessed parental informational needs prior to day care surgery. More than 80% of the participants considered most preoperative information categories essential, particularly regarding the necessity of surgery and pain management. Nearly all participants (99.5%) preferred to receive information from doctors, especially through oral communication (73.9%). Surgeons were the favored information source (92.9%), and the received information was considered useful by the majority (95.0%). Females and participants with higher education levels reported significantly higher informational needs. Preferences regarding the method and timing of information delivery were also significantly associated with informational needs scores. Conclusion Clear and structured communication from surgeons, aligned with parental preference and preferably delivered orally prior to surgery, may help improve parental understanding of pediatric day care surgery. These findings may support the development of patient-centered preoperative communication strategies.

Recommended Citation

Habiballah, Ammar H.; Shosho, Raghad Y.; Babukur, Raed M.; Banser, Sultan M.; Almohammadi, Sarah S.; Alharbi, Muhannad M.; Alwafi, Thekra A.; Alkabkabi, Shahad S.; and Alsufi, Raed F. (2026) "Assessment of Parents' Informational Needs before Pediatric Day Care Surgery in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia," Saudi Toxicology Journal: Vol. 3: Iss. 2, Article 3.
Available at: https://stj.researchcommons.org/journal/vol3/iss2/3

Subject Area

Clinical Toxicology

Data Availability Statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Ethical Approval

Approval No.: HAPO-02-K-012-2024-01-1941 Final Approval from the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.