Before a child is admitted to or undergoes a procedure at Cleveland Clinic Children's, our Child Life specialists offer virtual 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.
Virtual tours are available upon request and child life availability. Please email maincampuschildlife@ccf.org to inquire.
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.
