Before a child is admitted to or undergoes a procedure at Cleveland Clinic Children's, our Child Life specialists offer tours designed to orient patients and families to the hospital and surgical environment. All children above the age of 3 benefit from preadmission/preoperative tours. The tours are especially helpful if:
- Children have never had medical experiences before.
- Children have had traumatic medical or surgical experiences.
- They experience anxiety when separating from home, caregivers, and/or peers.
- Children have difficulty understanding a procedure or the reason for surgery.
- Hospitalization will be required after surgery.
To schedule a tour, simply call 216.445.6454 and leave a voicemail with:
- Your name.
- Your child's name.
- Telephone number where you can be contacted.
- Date of your child's procedure or surgery.
- Type of procedure/surgery scheduled.
- Name of your child's surgeon.
Please call as soon as your child is scheduled for his or her surgery.
Tips for day of surgery
If you are unable to bring your child on a tour of our hospital before their upcoming surgery, we offer these tips to help your child prepare for his or her experience:
- Talk openly and honestly to your child about the procedure using simple and easy-to-understand words.
- Bring your child's comforts from home - a toy, blanket, pacifier, stuffed animal, or other favorite items.
- Adolescents may bring their favorite music, movies, a video game system, or pictures of friends & family.
- Encourage your child to write down questions or concerns to be answered on the day of surgery.
- Download our "Going to Surgery Coloring Book" for your child.
