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Play-based training program for overcoming hospital fear in children

Musa Özsavran1, Aleyna Baz2, Cihangir Karakaya3

  • 1Child Care and Youth Services Department, Ahmet Erdogan Vocational School of Health Services, Zonguldak Bulent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Türkiye.

Journal of Pediatric Nursing
|February 28, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Play-based training effectively reduces medical procedure fear in healthy children aged 7-12. This method, implemented in schools with healthcare professional collaboration, significantly lowers children's anxiety related to hospital visits and procedures.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Child Health Education
  • Intervention Studies

Background:

  • Children frequently experience fear of medical procedures, regardless of prior hospital exposure.
  • Effective methods are needed to inform children about hospital procedures and alleviate anxiety.
  • Play-based interventions offer a promising avenue for addressing this common childhood fear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of a play-based training program on reducing fear of medical procedures.
  • To assess the effectiveness of this intervention in healthy children aged 7-12 years.

Main Methods:

  • A controlled study involving 120 children aged 7-12 in Turkish primary and secondary schools.
  • An intervention group (n=60) received four weeks of play-based training.
  • Data collected using the Medical Procedures Fear Scale at pre-training, post-training, and follow-up stages.

Main Results:

  • The intervention group showed significantly lower medical procedure fear scores post-training and at follow-up compared to the control group (p < 0.05).
  • The intervention group's fear scores significantly decreased from pre-test to post-test and follow-up (p < 0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Play-based training is an effective method for reducing medical procedure fear in healthy children aged 7-12.
  • Implementing these programs in schools, with healthcare professional collaboration, can benefit children's well-being.
  • Such programs can be adapted for various healthcare settings to improve pediatric patient experiences.
Abstract

Keywords:
ChildrenFearMedical procedurePlay-based training

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