Emergence delirium (ED) stands out as a prevalent postoperative complication among paediatric patients, correlating with extended hospitalization periods, escalated healthcare expenses, and increased incidence of postoperative maladaptive behaviours (POMBs). There is a lack of well-established pharmacological or non-pharmacological interventions demonstrating efficacy in reducing the occurrence of ED. Therefore, our objective is to assess the potential of family-centred perioperative care for anaesthesia (FPCA) in mitigating the incidence of ED in children, compared with routine anaesthesia.

Inclusion criteria:

1. Children aged 2-6 years undergoing elective surgery with an estimated surgical duration of no longer than 2 hours;
2. Receiving first general anaesthesia by inhalation, and American Society of Anaesthesiology (ASA) physical status I to II;
3. A parent signed the informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Suffering important organ diseases;
2. History of developmental retardation, neuropsychiatric diseases, psychological or cognitive impairment;
3. History of severe hearing or visual impairment;
4. Children are not suitable for inhalation anaesthesia considered by the researchers;
5. The parent involving in this trial spends less than three months a year with the child;
6. The parent is not competent for companionship considered by the researchers;
7. Neither father nor mother is able to participate in the screening interview and the trial.

Study protocol and statistical analysis plan.

Beginning 6 months after publication with no end date

De-identified participant data underlying the findings will be made available upon reasonable request. Proposals for data access should be directed to the corresponding author (liting1021@aliyun.com).