Abstract

Background: An elective surgery can be something new that is frightening and unpleasant. The children and their individual needs are not always considered when surgery is prepared. Children’s needs differ and depend on their sense of coherence. Aim: The purpose of this study was to illuminate how children experience preparations before elective surgery. Method: The result is based on nine studies. Their quality has been examined and content analysed. Meaning units were identified and divided into sub and main categories. The result was gone through further more and new main categories that were better fit for the aim were found. This procedure was repeated. Results: Studies showed that the methods that were used when preparing children for elective surgery differed. The effects of the preparations varied. The experiences from one preparation could be both positive and negative depending on the child. It was found that more than one factor had an influence on the children’s experience. Discussion: Children’s experience of preparation depends on the child’s age, maturity, social environment, their confidence in the nursing staff and the time they have to process the information.