Pediatric Nurses' Knowledge of Procedural Distraction Techniques

Abstract

Record ID: 97

Type: Poster Presentation (in-person)

Advisor: Mohammad Othman

Abstract: Providing medical care and implementing procedures on pediatric patients can be difficult for nurses and anxiety producing for the patients they are caring for. Close to 83% of young children aged 2.5-6 years, 51% of children aged 7-12 years, and 28% of adolescents have high levels of anxiety during painful procedures. The aim of this project is to educate pediatric operating room nurses on the different procedural distraction techniques they can implement into practice that can assist in reducing pain and anxiety levels in their patients. The question this project addresses is whether or not teaching about distraction techniques increases pediatric nurses' knowledge and willingness to adopt these techniques during stressful medical interventions. A group of selected pediatric nurses at Cincinnati Children's Hospital received an educational powerpoint along with demonstrations and examples of procedural distraction techniques. A pre and post test were administered to allow for the analysis of their knowledge acquired and willingness to adopt the techniques after the educational presentation. The results are pending. The outcome of the work will allow for pediatric nurses to obtain more knowledge to utilize while providing care to their specific population of patients, as well as motivate them to use this knowledge.