The effect of a video-based COVID-19 paediatric patient education on state anxiety in children with suspected COVID-19 admitted to hospital

Abstract

Background: Anxiety causes the long-term psychological impacts on children during the pandemic.

Objective: The aim of this study is to reduce anxiety in paediatric patients and increase their adherence to treatment through a video-based COVID-19 paediatric patient education.

Methods: This quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest single group was carried out in a research hospital's COVID-19 Paediatric Emergency Area in Turkey between May and August 2020. The sample consisted of 128 children aged between 4 and 12 years.

Results: In the study, it was found that 50.8% of the children who came to the COVID- 19 Paediatric Emergency Area due to suspicion of COVID-19 were boys and their mean age was 8.54 ± 2.62. 21.1% of the children were hospitalised before and 73.4% were afraid of the hospital. State stress scores of the participants before the patient education were higher in those, who didn't attend school between ages of 4-10, than those who went to school. State stress mean scores of the children from all age groups decreased significantly after the education.

Conclusions: The video-based paediatric patient education decreases the children's hospital-related anxiety during the pandemic and increased their adherence to treatment.

Keywords: Anxiety; COVID-19; Child; Nursing; Pandemics; Patient education.