Children's communication of emotional cues and concerns during a preoperative needle procedure

Accessing the Lived Experiences of Children with Illness in Sweden for Health Care Research

BACKGROUND

Children are a relatively marginalized group when doing research in the context of illness, young children particularly so. This even though children can and should contribute their point of view in providing evidence-based care. This article contributes the experiences of Nurse Researchers in gathering research data in Sweden on the lived experiences of children undergoing needle-related medical procedures, living with home mechanical ventilation or undergoing treatment for cancer.

METHODS

Nine published articles from four unique Swedish PhD dissertations in Caring Science formed the basis for the present paper where various open and critical qualitative approaches for gathering data were used.

RESULTS

Accessing and interpreting the lived experiences of ill children in healthcare research presents methodological, ethical, and cultural challenges. As with health care contexts in other countries, capturing the ill child's experiences in Sweden requires several different methods. Health researchers in Sweden must navigate a complex landscape of communication barriers, emotional and psychological challenges, and structural issues within the healthcare system to effectively access and understand the lived experiences of children.

CONCLUSIONS

This paper adds to the knowledge base of research with a focus on gathering the experiences of children with illness within a Swedish health care context. These insights underscore the importance for all researchers of using child-friendly, inclusive methods to understand children's lived experiences thus ensuring their voices are heard and respected in health research. Children's and families' inability to speak the native language of a country cannot be a hinder for inclusion, but rather be encouraged.

The effect of virtual reality glasses used during intravenous catheter application on the Child's emotional responses

PURPOSE

This study was conducted to determine the effect of virtual reality glasses used during intravenous catheter insertion on the child's emotional responses.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The sample of the research, which was carried out as a randomized controlled experimental study, consisted of 102 children, including 51 in the control group and 51 in the study group, who were aged between 7 and 12 years and were on treatment in the pediatric emergency department(PED). Research data were collected using a Descriptive Data Form for Children and the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale. No intervention was applied to the control group. After the tourniquet was tied in the study group, the children started watching a video of their choice through virtual reality glasses. When the process was completed, the video was stopped. During this period, the child was evaluated using the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale.

RESULTS

A statistically significant difference was found between the Children's Emotional Manifestation Scale scores of the children in the study and control groups (p = 0.000). The scores of the children in the study group were statistically significantly lower than the scores of the children in the control group.

CONCLUSION

During the intravenous catheter insertion process, children who watched cartoons on virtual reality glasses showed less negative emotional behavior than those who did not.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

The use of virtual reality glasses is a developing technology in child health services, and it is recommended to encourage their use in these services.

Positive effects of a child-centered intervention on children's fear and pain during needle procedures

To examine whether children experience less fear or pain using a child-centered intervention and if there were differences between the intervention group and the control group regarding heart rate, time required for the procedure, success rate for the cannula insertion, and patient satisfaction. A controlled single-center case study of observational design, with one control and one intervention group. Child self-reported fear or pain levels did not reveal any differences for those receiving the intervention compared with controls. However, according to a behavioral observation measure with the Procedure Behavior Check List, effects of the intervention were lower distress in relation to fear and pain during the cannula insertion. The time it took to perform the cannula insertion also decreased significantly in the intervention group. More children in the intervention group reported that they were satisfied with the needle procedure compared with the children in the control group. The child-centered intervention provides reduced observed distress related to fear and pain in children undergoing a cannula insertion and reduced total time by more than 50%. This study found that child involvement in care strengthen their ability to manage a needle procedure.