The influence of the puppet Kolah Ghermezi on preoperative anxiety among hospitalized children with appendicitis in Dr Shaikh hospital of Mashhad

Background: Anxiety is the commonest problems before surgery. Preoperative anxiety not only causes pain and many suffering for children, but also has a negative impact on the recovery after surgery and probably later than that. Selecting a low risk and cost-effective way to control children's anxiety before surgery seems necessary. Aim: Influence of the puppet Kolah Ghermezi on preoperative anxiety in hospitalized children with appendicitis. Methods: In one quasi-experimental randomized control trial at Dr. Shaykh hospital of Mashhad, 50 children aged  between 6 and 12 years old who were being prepared for appendicitis operation, were selected by simple draw and  divided into two groups of intervention and control. Children in the intervention group were familiarized with the puppet Kolah Ghermezi one hour prior to the operation . The RCMAS anxiety test was then conducted on each child before referring them to an anesthesiologist. Data were analyzed by independent  and paired T-tests using SPSS version 16. Results: 18 girls and 32 boys with a mean age of  9.45 ± 2 years participated in the study. In the intervention group,  the mean anxiety before and after the intervention was 48.9 ± 16.7 and 31.5±12.4, and in control group was 45.5±17.3 and 59.1 ± 19.6, respectively. Differences in the anxiety before and after treatment in both groups was significant, showing a decrease in the intervention group while in the control group had an increase (p