Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of Comfort Theory–guided nursing care in reducing perioperative anxiety and improving recovery outcomes among children undergoing strabismus surgery.

Key Findings:

• Comfort Theory group showed lower anxiety before induction (44.1 vs. 61.5, p < 0.001) and on postoperative day 1 (40.6 vs. 53.4, p < 0.001).
• Physiological stress responses were lower in the Comfort Theory group, with reduced heart rate (100.2 vs. 108.5 bpm, p < 0.001) and mean arterial pressure (83.1 vs. 88.4 mmHg, p < 0.001).
• Postoperative pain scores were significantly lower across all time points (p < 0.001).
• Behavioral recovery improved with lower PHBQ scores (7.4 vs. 10.2, p < 0.001).
• Children in the intervention group regained consciousness earlier (19.6 vs. 22.4 min, p < 0.001) and had shorter hospital stays (3.4 vs. 3.9 days, p < 0.001).

Interpretation:

Comfort Theory–guided nursing care effectively alleviates perioperative anxiety, stabilizes physiological stress responses, reduces postoperative pain, and supports behavioral and functional recovery in pediatric strabismus surgery.

Limitations:

• Single-center design may limit generalizability.
• Lack of full blinding in the study.
• Multimodal nature of the intervention complicates isolation of specific effects.

Conclusion:

Comfort Theory–guided nursing care offers a holistic approach to improving perioperative care for pediatric patients, potentially enhancing emotional and functional outcomes.