[Therapeutic play in preparing for surgery: behavior of preschool children during the perioperative period].

Objective: to describe the behavior of children during the instructional session of therapeutic play (ITP) in the preoperative period and to verify the behavior presented by them during the perioperative period.

Methods: Exploratory descriptive study with a quantitative approach, developed in a large private hospital in Sao Paulo, in which the behaviors presented by 30 children between three and five years old, undergoing minor surgery were seen at the hospital during the session of TP and in the surgical center, from admission to awaken from anesthesia.

Results: Most children participated in the ITP session (21; 70%), entered the surgical room spontaneously (22; 73.3%) without resisting mother separation (24; 80%), collaborating with the anesthetic procedure (16; 53.3%) and quietly awakening from anesthesia (26; 87%).

Conclusion: The use of ITP led the child to understand the surgical procedure, making it less traumatic.