Use of Instructional Therapeutic Play during the preoperative nursing consultation of a child with orofacial clefts.

OBJECTIVE

To report the use of Instructional Therapeutic Play during the preoperative nursing consultation of a child with an orofacial cleft.

METHOD: A case study conducted at an association that supports children with orofacial clefts located in northwestern Paraná, Brazil. Data were collected in May 2025 during a nursing consultation using Instructional Therapeutic Play, book reading, and drawing activities to prepare the child for surgery. The consultation was audio-and video-recorded with consent, and the data were analyzed descriptively. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee under Opinion 7,041,250/2024.

RESULTS

The study included an 8-year-old girl scheduled to undergo cleft palate repair surgery. She presented fear and anxiety related to the surgical procedure, particularly fear of not waking up after anesthesia. The use of Instructional Therapeutic Play enabled the child to understand the procedure, express her concerns, and, at the end of the session, she reported feeling calmer.

CONCLUSION

Instructional Therapeutic Play promoted emotional expression and facilitated the surgical preparation of the child with an orofacial cleft.