1
Explain why the study was done (i.e., the problem, the concern or issue in detail)?
The study was done to explore non-pharmacological interventions for hospitalized children with chronic diseases. Music therapy and distraction card were the main interventions.
What is the research question that the investigator is trying to answer?
The investigator was trying to answer the effectiveness of music therapy and distraction cards for reducing anxiety in hospitalized children
What is the independent variable?
Independent variable = The type of intervention used
What is the dependent variable?
Dependent variable = The level of anxiety in children that was measured by the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (SCAS)
Evaluate the strength of the references at the end of the article.
We thought they were good and we noticed they used articles with similar topics
Describe any concerns regarding the age or quality of the references.
We did notice some references were on the older side with one of them dating back to 2002
What is the research design?
Randomized clincal trial
Is the research design appropriate to answer the research question? Why or why not?
Yes, it showed the effects of the intervention and how it changed anxiety levels on the children
Was there an underlying theory or conceptual framework? If so, describe it. If not, what theoretical framework would you choose if you were the researcher?
We though that the Cognitive Behavioral Theory best fit this article
What are the characteristics (size, demographics) of the sample? Inclusion and exclusion criteria?
The sample used 83 children with ages that ranged from 8-12 with all of them having a chronic illness they were hospitalized for. Inclusion criteria included those with children who do not need surgical interventions. Exclusion focused on if the intervention was done before discharge from the hospital.
How was the sample recruited?
Recruitment was based on convenience sampling
Are there any ethical issues/possible ethical issues in how the sample was recruited?
No there was not, informed consent was provided by the parents
What were the strategies used for data collection? Setting? Experiment? Questionnaire/focus group/interview/chart review etc.
Strategies used for data collection was with the use of SCAS for determining anxiety levels. Interventions were then used in the hospital setting for 20 minutes over two days
What methods were used to analyze the data?
Descriptive Statistics
What is one strength of the methods used to analyze the data?
It's ability to compare the impact the interventions had made on the children
What is one weakness of the methods used to analyze the data?
A weakness of the method used could be the small sample size that was used
What were the main findings of the study?
Distraction cards showed to have the most significant reduction in decreasing anxiety scores. The music also showed to have some effect but not as much as the distraction cards.
Major limitations of the study?
It used only one hospital for the study with a small sample size
Major strengths of the study?
A major strength is the the study used an anxiety scale in order to make sure they were targeting the right population of children
Implications for practice?
Pediatric nurses can use the interventions/techniques to help care for children in hospital setting with chronic illness. Using these techniques can help reduce anxiety for children which would make there hospital stay less "scary" to them. This also benefits the nurse because they will be able to get the task done that they needed to do for the child in an easier way.
When you had completed reading the article, did the researchers accomplish what they set out to accomplish as they described it in the introduction?
Yes they did accomplish what they set out to accomplish
Was the article easy to read? What could have been changed to provide more clarity for novice nurses like you?
Personal Opinion
Based on what you have seen in clinical, how could you apply the findings from this article to your practice?
This study could help encourage people to use different techniques to care for there patients and make there hospital stay less frightening whether they are part of a pediatric population or older adult population.