Narrative Diaries in Pediatrics: A Scoping Review

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Health Research
• Qualitative Research Methods
• Patient Experience Documentation

Background:

• Health diaries, incorporating clinical and narrative elements, are utilized in pediatrics.
• These tools study children's and families' illness experiences and coping mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize existing literature on narrative health diaries.
• Utilized the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews to guide the study.

Main Methods:

• Searched PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL without time restrictions.
• Included English-language studies on narrative diaries involving children, adolescents, or their caregivers.
• Limited sources to narrative diaries for children/adolescents and/or parents/caregivers.

Main Results:

• 36 articles were included in the review.
• The home was the most common setting (61%) for diary implementation, followed by hospitals (17%) and schools (14%).
• Children/adolescents were the most frequent diarists (50%), with paper diaries being the most common format (53%).

Conclusions:

• Narrative health diaries effectively document patient experiences from the child's or family's perspective.
• The adaptability of narrative diaries to various settings and pediatric populations is evident.
• Further research is required to determine the impact of narrative diary use on children's health outcomes.