Sunday, November 8, 2026

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Ballroom 1 and 2

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Overview

Dr Sandra Staffieri AO

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Details

Background: Procedural anxiety that is borne of negative experiences in childhood can be carried long into adulthood. Something as simple as an “eye test” can come with its own degree of fear, uncertainty and accompanying distress around what the procedure may involve. Working with the child and their family to understand the purpose of an invasive procedure, goal orientation, role play and peer modelling are all strategies that can be implemented to address or mitigate procedural anxiety and achieve the desired outcome. Method: Together with the Creative Studio team at the Royal Children’s Hospital, we are building a suite of videos utilising a peer-modelling strategy. Aimed at reducing procedural anxiety for children and educating parents at the same time so they too can better support their child through the procedure, the videos were co-designed with the patient and family themselves. Results: “A child's guide to hospital - Eye Exam” (>1 million views since October 2018) and “A child’s guide to hospital – My Prosthetic Eye” (>8000 views since April 2026) were developed with the intention to provide children with an opportunity to view the assessments or interventions they would be expected to perform. Peer-modelling enables the child to prepare for the interventions and aim for a successful visit – whether it be an ophthalmic exam or having a prosthetic eye fitting without requiring a general anaesthetic. Unexpectedly, adults have found great value in in the videos to support their own examinations, and the broader community have responded with an increased awareness of childhood eye disease and screening. Conclusion: Co-designed, peer-modelled, child-friendly videos are an effective, low-cost intervention that supports preparation and experience for children undergoing invasive procedures. Supporting child empowerment is a powerful adjunct to successful clinical practice.

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Speaker