Empowerment-based Teddy Bear Clinic for Pre-school Children: A Student-led Educational Project

Nurses are at the forefront of providing health education for the general public and are leaders in developing health education programs for all ages. Research has shown that the pediatric population often experience anxiety surrounding common medical procedures. However, evidence-based health education has been shown to enhance self-management, increase knowledge, and decrease anxiety in the pediatric population. One such successful evidence-based health education approach designed for the pediatric population is the Teddy Bear Clinic. The purpose of this article is to report on the efficacy of a nursing student-led Teddy Bear Clinic designed to increase the awareness of common medical equipment and procedures in the pre-school pediatric population. This quality improvement project used a program evaluation design to assess the children's knowledge of common medical procedures and equipment. Participants were a convenience sample of 16 children aged 3-5 years old, attending one daycare center in a large city in Atlantic Canada. Findings showed that after participation in the clinic, the pre-schoolers reported a high level of knowledge of common medical equipment and procedures. This project shows that a Teddy Bear Clinic run by senior nursing students can promote community partnerships and enhance health knowledge in pre-school children.