Abstract: Objective: To analyze the effect of preoperative waiting time on the anxiety level of pre-school children, and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical intervention. Methods: Pre-school children who would undergo elective surgery at a hospital in Ningbo from January to June 2019 were sampled. The Chinese version of the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (Cm-YPAS) was utilized to evaluate their anxiety level at entering the preoperative preparation room, leaving the preoperative preparation room, and entering the operating room. The anesthesia induction period cooperation scale (ICC) was used to evaluate the degree of cooperation during the anesthesia induction period. The participants were divided into three groups according to the preoperative waiting time: <15 minutes (T1 group), 15-30 minutes (T2 group), and >30 minutes (T3 group), 85 patients in each group. The degree of anxiety and cooperation during anesthesia induction are compared among the groups. Results: The Cm-YPAS scores of the children leaving the preoperative preparation room and entering the operating room are: T20.05). Conclusion: Unlike adults, the anxiety level of children is the lowest when waiting time was 15-30 minutes, and cooperate better during anesthesia induction. After 30 minutes, the anxiety level increase significantly.

Key words: preschoolers; preoperative waiting; time; anxiety