Screening for Depression in Children Having Surgery KCAT Mental Health Assessment Tool May Help

#KCAT #anesthesiology2024annualmeeting #elizabethpealy A new, computerized, mental health assessment tool may allow doctors to quickly identify children experiencing anxiety or depression before surgery, suggests new research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2024 annual meeting. In the small, single-center study, researchers found more than half of the children screened had anxiety before having surgery and more than one-third had depression. “The use of the KCAT® tool in pediatric patients in the preoperative setting is very feasible and the results of our pilot study show a substantial prevalence of these mental health conditions in this surgical population,” said Elizabeth Pealy, M.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor of anesthesia and critical care at the University of Chicago Medicine. “Anxiety and depression are caused by many factors. Many kids are anxious before having surgery and the stress of undergoing the actual procedure can accentuate it.” It is difficult for pediatric anesthesiologists to determine if patients have undiagnosed anxiety or depression, or severe preoperative anxiety, prior to the surgery. Increased anxiety can contribute to the child being uncooperative during the anesthetic induction, as well as prolonged recovery, increased postoperative pain and delirium, and decreased patient satisfaction. With thousands of children undergoing surgery every year, having a comprehensive yet quick method to screen for these conditions is needed. Check full updates on Medical Dialogues Also check out - Medical Dialogues Academy, a renowned academic wing of Medical Dialogues - India's premier health and news online portal, proudly presents this comprehensive course tailored for healthcare professionals eager to delve into the realm of medical journalism. 🔗 Enroll Today: https://academy.medicaldialogues.in/c... 📚 Explore More With Us: 📌 Medical Content Writing: https://academy.medicaldialogues.in/c... 📌 Certificate Course in Pharmaceutical Medico-Marketing: https://academy.medicaldialogues.in/c... Join us on this enlightening journey and become a part of a community pushing the boundaries of healthcare communication and reporting. Get the latest medical and health news at medicaldialogues.in Follow us on Twitter:   / medicaldialogs   Facebook:   / medicaldialogues   Instagram:   / medicaldialogues   LinkedIn:   / medical-dialogues   Website: https://medicaldialogues.in/