Journal of pediatric psychology
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Nurse coaching and cartoon distraction: an effective and practical intervention to reduce child, parent, and nurse distress during immunizations.
Evaluated a low cost and practical intervention designed to decrease children's, parents', and nurses' distress during children's immunizations. The intervention consisted of children viewing a popular cartoon movie and being coached by nurses and parents to attend to the movie. Ninety-two children, 4-6 years of age, and their parents were alternatively assigned to either a nurse coach intervention, a nurse coach plus train parent and child intervention, or a standard medical care condition. ⋯ Results indicate that, in the two intervention conditions, children coped more and were less distressed, nurses and parents exhibited more coping promoting behavior and less distress promoting behavior, and parents and nurses were less distressed than in the control condition. Although neither intervention was superior on any of the variables assessed in the study, nurse coach was markedly more practical and cost-effective. Therefore, nurses' coaching of children to watch cartoon movies has great potential for dissemination in pediatric settings.