Effects of playing with therapeutic toys made by nursing students on children, parents, and students

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of therapeutic toys designed by nursing students on the pain and anxiety levels of sick children before treatment and on the satisfaction of parents and students. The sample consisted of hospitalised children between 3–6 years old, their primary caregivers, and third-year nursing students. Nursing students designed therapeutic toys in the paediatric nursing course and used them to play with children in the experimental group 30 minutes before treatment. The data were collected using Personal Information Form, Student Satisfaction Survey, Parent Satisfaction Survey, Wong-Baker FACES® Scale, and Children’s Fear Scale (CFS). The mean Wong-Baker FACES® scores were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group. The experimental group also had a significantly lower mean CFS score than the control group (F = 5.073; p = 0.028; η2 = 0.965). The results also showed that most mothers and nursing students were highly satisfied with the intervention

MEDLINE · Randomized controlled trial · Child Development and Digital Technology · Child Therapy and Development · Pediatric Pain Management Techniques