Decreasing pediatric patient anxiety about radiology imaging tests: prospective evaluation of an educational...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Radiology
• Child Psychology
• Healthcare Education

Background:

• Pediatric patients undergoing radiology tests often experience anxiety.
• Child-friendly hospital initiatives may be reducing overall anxiety levels.
• Previous interventions have explored various methods to mitigate this anxiety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of an educational coloring book (CB) on anxiety levels in pediatric patients before radiology imaging.
• To assess parental anxiety in conjunction with pediatric patient anxiety.
• To evaluate parental satisfaction with the provided educational material.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled trial involving pediatric patients aged 3-10 years and their parents.
• An intervention group reviewed an educational coloring book (CB) before radiology tests.
• Anxiety levels were measured using surveys in both control and intervention groups.

Main Results:

• Overall anxiety levels were low in both groups compared to prior literature.
• Reviewing the CB was not significantly associated with reduced patient or parental anxiety.
• A trend toward lower patient anxiety was noted in the intervention subgroup with higher baseline parental anxiety.

Conclusions:

• The educational coloring book (CB) did not demonstrate a significant anxiolytic effect in this pediatric radiology population.
• Parents perceived the CB as informative and helpful in reducing worry.
• Further research may explore targeted interventions for subgroups with elevated parental anxiety.