Ipads proven to lower anxiety before surgery

from t-v — to computers. video game consoles — to cell phones — and tablets… but now there is research which claims i-pads — have a calming effect on children — which can be helpful in hospitals. 47 abc’s ashonti ford spoke to a local doctor about these findings. it’s a difficult scenario – your child needs surgery. the last thing they or you – need – is more anxiety — and that’s where an i-pad may come in. at least according to a recent article in time magazine. time cites a study in which kids between ages 4 and 10 about to have surgery — were randomly assigned to one of two groups before receiving anesthesia. group one received a sedative — group two played games, like angry birds, on an i-pad. after measuring the kids’ anxiety levels throughout the day — researchers found that anxiety between both groups was about the same — and parents were more satisfied with the experience in the i-pad group. according to the study — it’s about distraction. humans can only focus on a few things at once — and distracting them can take their mind away from whatever’s causing the anxiety. psychologist mark todd understands — but offers a word of caution too. 15:53:38 if you’re giving a child a video game to play with for a few minutes and that’s maybe distracting them i think thats ok iokt probably wouldn’t be a solution to a long term problem problem because a child 1. isn’t addressing the problem or the parents aren’t addressing the problem and the childs not learning coping skills 15:53:59 track the study has shortcomings — mainly its size. it was very small — focusing on only 112 kids. still — researchers say it’s worth further study — especially if it means fewer drugs for our little ones. ashonti ford 47 abc this recent i-pad study is not the first to conclude distraction through technology could play a role in improved medical experiences. still to come tonight… we’ll check in with