Aim
To explore the effectiveness of preoperative psychological preparation programmes aimed to reduce paediatric preoperative anxiety and the potential factors that could have an impact on parent and children's acceptance of such interventions.
Background
Various preoperative psychological preparation programmes are available to address paediatric preoperative anxiety. No mixed‐method review has been conducted to explore the effectiveness and acceptability of these programmes.
Design
A mixed‐method systematic review.
Data sources
Seven bibliographic databases were searched from inception to September 2016, complemented by hand searching of key journals, the reference lists of relevant reviews, search for grey literature and the contacting of associated experts.
Review methods
The review process was conducted based on the framework developed by the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Co‐ordinating Centre. A narrative summary and a thematic synthesis were developed to synthesize the quantitative and qualitative data respectively, followed by a third synthesis to combine the previous syntheses.
Results
Nineteen controlled trials and eleven qualitative studies were included for data synthesis. The controlled trials reveal that educational multimedia applications and web‐based programmes may reduce paediatric preoperative anxiety, while the effectiveness of therapeutic play and books remains uncertain. Qualitative studies showed parent–child dyads seek different levels of information.
Conclusions
Providing matched information provision to each parent and child, actively involving children and their parents and teaching them coping skills, may be the essential hallmarks of a successful preoperative psychological preparation. Further research is necessary to confirm the effectiveness of therapeutic play and books.
The purpose of this article is to report on the development and field testing for validity and reliability of a modified version of the Marwit and Meuser Caregiver Inventory (MM-CGI) for the assessment of anticipatory grief among Jordanian parents of children with cancer (the MM-CGI Childhood Cancer). In 2006, a 50-item MM-CGI Childhood Cancer was administered to 140 Jordanian parents living with a child with cancer. The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the total instrument was .95, and Cronbach alpha coefficients for each of the 3 subscales was .91 for personal sacrifice burden, .90 for heartfelt sadness and longing, and .86 for worry and felt isolation. The construct validity of this instrument was supported by demonstrating a significant and positive correlation with the Anticipatory Grief Scale. The MM-CGI Childhood Cancer demonstrated strong convergent validity and excellent internal consistency reliability. However, further testing with a larger sample to facilitate factor analysis is needed to complete the validation process.
The concept of transition is of fundamental concern to those seeking to prepare, recruit, and retain newly qualified staff. The pioneering work of researchers such as Kramer (1974) who explored the transition experiences of nurses has transcended international boundaries (Whitehead & Holmes, 2011) to influence the educational preparation of nurses worldwide. However, much of what we know about the transition experiences of newly qualified nurses is based on research with adult nurses and in the acute care settings. This article outlines the findings from a qualitative study about the experiences of a group of newly qualified children's nurses in England who had taken up first destination posts in community children's nursing teams at a time when such posts were novel, and had previously been met with some resistance. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and fieldwork observation, and analyzed using a combination of thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) and the framework approach (Ritchie & Lewis 2003; Smith & Firth 2011). The findings are outlined under the broad headings of "Shadowing," "The Visits," and "Emerging Identity" and support previous research that highlights how good formal support and the physical presence of a preceptor is valued by newly qualified nurses since it reduces occupational stress. However, the study also highlights the downside of such support which occurred because some accepted practices inadvertently reduced confidence and therefore inhibited a smooth transition. The ideal transition experience therefore necessitated a more individual approach, allowing for different rates of progression. The primary care environment allowed for such individuality which may account for the significant finding that the nurses in this study did not report feelings of reality shock (Kramer, 1974) as experienced by those in acute care settings. The study therefore highlights how the development of a new professional identity as a community children's nurse is not just dependent on the actions of the newly qualified nurse, but also of those with whom they work.
The strategy of differentiating between being a nurse and being a parent emerges as an important strategy in interpreting professional boundaries. The conventional meaning of 'emotional distancing' is further advanced by the participants' resiliency at remaining emotionally available to the children and parents in their stories. Further research into the emotional aspects of working with children in hospital is warranted.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.