Virtual Reality as a Perioperative Teaching Tool for Families

Commonly, families and providers have turned to internet-based resources to provide insight as to the perioperative experience. Though there is a large amount of information that is available on the internet, medical information on the internet is of highly variable quality and the information may be conflicting or inaccurate. It is hard for even the savvy well-educated patient and family to navigate and sift through all the information available. Therefore, generic web-based information does not necessarily decrease patient and caregiver anxiety. As an alternative, the investigators propose an interactive teaching tool utilizing virtual reality that may provide a cost-efficient, content-rich supplement to the traditional phone or internet-based patient education. Virtual reality (VR) will be provided to families of patients undergoing ambulatory pediatric surgery. VR will provide personalized education to patients and their families about the entire continuum of the child's surgical experience. This will range from the hospital registration, the peri-operative experience, including the separation of the child from the parent in the pre-operative area and the anesthetic induction process, and the post-operative hospital ward. The virtual reality (VR) tool will also review the in-hospital post-operative recovery process. The patient will be shown this either via an oculus headset or using their own smartphone device. In addition to improving a parent's comprehension of what their child will experience, the investigators expect that the virtual reality tool may also improve patient and caregiver satisfaction with the overall perioperative experience.

Virtual reality (VR) will be provided to families of patients undergoing ambulatory pediatric surgery. VR will provide personalized education to patients and their families about the entire continuum of the child's surgical experience. This will range from the hospital registration, the peri-operative experience, including the separation of the child from the parent in the pre-operative area and the anesthetic induction process, and the post-operative hospital ward.

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a commonly used measure of trait and state anxiety. All items are rated on a 4-point scale (e.g., from "Almost Never" to "Almost Always"). Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a commonly used measure of trait and state anxiety. All items are rated on a 4-point scale (e.g., from "Almost Never" to "Almost Always"). Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a commonly used measure of trait and state anxiety. All items are rated on a 4-point scale (e.g., from "Almost Never" to "Almost Always"). Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.

The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) is a commonly used measure of trait and state anxiety. All items are rated on a 4-point scale (e.g., from "Almost Never" to "Almost Always"). Higher scores indicate greater anxiety.

Assessed using an adaptation of the English version of the Leiden Perioperative Patient Satisfaction questionnaire (LPPSq). This questionnaire assesses 4 domains of satisfaction: information provision, professional competence, patient-staff relationship, and service with a total of 24 questions. Questions will be scored on a 1-5 Likert scale (from completely dissatisfied to completely satisfied) with the total satisfaction score ranging from 24-120 possible points.

Inclusion Criteria: Children undergoing tonsillectomy/adenotonsillectomy ± ear tubes in the ambulatory setting Exclusion Criteria: Non-English speaking (VR program is currently only offered in English) Inpatient Unable to effectively use VR (blind, severe motion sickness) History of procedure in the operating room within the past year Having a combination/additional procedure