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Assessment of parental satisfaction in children undergoing voiding cystourethrography without sedation
Natascha S Sandy1, Hiep T Nguyen, Sonja I Ziniel
1Department of Urology, Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Insights
Voiding cystourethrography can be performed without sedation in children with proper preparation. Parental satisfaction is high, though toilet training status impacts the child's tolerance and satisfaction.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric imaging
- Radiology procedures
- Patient experience
Background:
- Voiding cystourethrography (VCUG) is a common pediatric imaging procedure.
- Sedation or delayed VCUG is increasingly used due to concerns about patient distress.
- This study investigates the feasibility and satisfaction of non-sedated VCUG.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if voiding cystourethrography can be performed without sedation in children.
- To assess parental satisfaction with the non-sedated procedure.
- To evaluate the patient and parent experience during non-sedated VCUG.
Main Methods:
- A 33-question survey was used to evaluate parental satisfaction.
- Children were categorized by toilet training status.
- Parental satisfaction and patient experience were analyzed.
Main Results:
- 200 surveys were completed; 54% of children were not toilet trained.
- 90% of parents reported adequate preparation for the procedure.
- Over half of parents found VCUG comparable to or better than other common pediatric procedures.
Conclusions:
- Voiding cystourethrography is well-tolerated without sedation when adequate preparation and support are provided.
- Children undergoing toilet training and female patients experienced the most difficulty.
- Non-sedated VCUG is a viable option, with high parental satisfaction reported.
Purpose:
Approximately 50,000 children undergo voiding cystourethrography annually. There is a recent trend toward using sedation or delaying voiding cystourethrography due to the anticipated distress to the patient. We hypothesized that with adequate preparation and proper techniques to minimize anxiety, voiding cystourethrography can be performed without sedation. We assessed parental satisfaction associated with patient and parent experience of voiding cystourethrography without sedation.
Materials And Methods:
We used a 33-question survey to evaluate parental satisfaction with patient and parent experience of voiding cystourethrography without sedation. Children were divided into 3 groups according to toilet training status. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata®.
Results:
A total of 200 surveys were completed. Of the children 54% were not toilet trained. Of the parents 90% reported adequate preparation. More than half of parents classified the experience of voiding cystourethrography as equivalent to or better than a physical examination, immunization, ultrasound and prior catheterization. Most parents were satisfied with the ability of the child to tolerate the procedure and considered the experience better than expected. Children in the process of toilet training had the most difficulty with the procedure, correlating with lower levels of parental satisfaction.
Conclusions:
Voiding cystourethrography performed with adequate preparation and support can be tolerated without sedation. Children in the process of toilet training and females tolerate the procedure least.
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