Promoting Adaptation of the Young Child During an Outpatient Surgical Admission Assessment

Abstract

Hospitalization is considered to be a particularly stressful experience for a young child. Historically, efforts aimed at reducing the stress of hospitalization have focused on preadmission tours and orientation programs. Little research has been done on the effects of the nurse's initial intervention at the time of admission on the stress behaviors of the pediatric patient. This study used an experimental design to investigate whether the timing of a child's admission physical assessment, either before or after an interview with the child's parent(s), had an effect on the upset and cooperation behaviors exhibited by the child during the physical exam. Thirty-two children, age 12 to 36 months, who were scheduled for elective outpatient surgery were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. Children in the experimental group were examined after a short interview between the nurse and the child's parent(s).Control group subjects were examined before the interview. All subjects were videotaped during the physical exam and later evaluated on an upset behavior rating scale and a cooperation rating scale.