Boy, 15, plays chess to calm fears during surgery

A teenager played chess during a minor foot operation as part of a hospital initiative designed to ease anxiety with distraction and relaxation techniques.

Medway Maritime Hospital said research showed 75% of children experienced anxiety in the anaesthetic room.

Calum was one of the first patients to trial the treatment by playing chess during his procedure, alongside other relaxation techniques.

Following successful surgery, the 15-year-old was able to go home straight away.

Theatre staff also helped Calum relax with deep breathing and guided imagery, which involved him imagining he was playing video games at home and eating his favourite foods.

The benefit of this approach is that it avoids the need for a general anaesthetic which can be linked to a longer period of recovery, the hospital said.

Calum’s mother, Laura, who works in nursing at the hospital, said the family was "really pleased with the experience overall".

She said that although there was some "initial fear about pain" linked to the operation and the local anaesthetic injection, the staff really eased it with their care and distraction techniques.

‘’The chess match really kept his brain engaged and helped take his mind off the operation – he even won the game!”, she said.

Dr Samantha Black, consultant paediatric and perioperative anaesthetist at Medway NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Anaesthetic anxiety is a common challenge for anaesthetists, anaesthetic practitioners, and the wider team.

“Managing this with our young patients can have many benefits, helping to minimise their distress, and that of their families and staff looking after them.

“If not managed well, this can have consequences such as the child needing greater amounts of anaesthetic, increased delirium, pain and sickness, and delayed recovery, ultimately spending more time in hospital."

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