Perceptions of stress relief support for children by medical professionals in mixed outpatient care for children and adults: A hypothetical case study

Abstract

 This study aimed to understand how medical professionals in mixed outpatient care for children and adults perceive, which are as follows: 1) children’s feelings and 2) supports for children. To accomplish this, we used a hypothetical case study of stress relief support. A questionnaire was administered to 431 participants of this study, including doctors, nurses, medical radiologists, and clinical laboratory technicians. The results showed that medical professionals understood children’s feelings of pain and fear of an unknown medical treatment and considered using support methods to alleviate the pain and anxiety. However, a low percentage of the participants considered explaining the treatment procedure based on the children’s desires. In selecting the order of examination, 80% of the medical professionals believed the painful examination should be the last step because it can be extremely stressful for the children. Furthermore, medical professionals were conscious of efficiency, including reducing outpatient care time and diagnostic priorities. Therefore, nurses must practice responses that consider the wishes of each child and create opportunities for shared meaning-making with other professionals while considering the focus of other professionals working in the outpatient setting.