Can clowns make surgery less scary for kids?
Clown doctors as a treatment for preoperative anxiety in children: a randomized, prospective study
Children who had clowns with them before surgery were much less anxious than those who didn’t.
At a children’s hospital in Florence, 40 children aged 5 to 12 who were about to have minor surgery were randomly assigned to go in with a parent, or with a parent plus clown doctors.
The children with clowns stayed calm all the way into the anaesthetic room, while the others got more anxious. Interestingly, the operating staff were less keen on clowns underfoot, but the kids voted with their giggles.
Red noses: an evidence-based medical device.