Health professionals experiences of guidance when interactive technology is used as a facilitator of young children’s participation in healthcare situations

• IntroductionChildren’s options of participation in healthcare situations depends on their engagement. Professionals can promote or delay the children’s involvement. Thus children’s active participation in a situation is an ambiguous challenge for the professionals to facilitate. Interactive technology has been assimilated into children’s everyday lives, even the younger ones. During the last decade, the access of applications for children has grown exponentially, also within pediatric contexts. A recent project developed an application for children aged three to five years. This application, also addressed as an interactive communication tool [IACTA], is meant to be used in specific health care situations, such as physical examinations and needle procedures, to facilitate young children’s participation. When introduced in situations, the use of IACTA is guided by professionals. The aim of this study was to describe crucial aspects from the health professionals’ experiences of bringing IACTA into play in the specific healthcare situations.MethodsA critical incident technique was used in interviews with health professionals regarding their retrospective experiences of the situation when guiding the child using the application in specific healthcare situations. The interviews were later analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.ResultsThe preliminary results, from sensitive meaning units, codes and generic categories towards main categories, show that IACTA can contribute to involve the children and making them comfortable by limiting their fear and to learn and understand. IACTA also contributes to create a mutual relation between the child and the professionals and to contribute to health professionals making a situational adaptation of the event.ConclusionInteractive technology will support young children’s participation in healthcare situations. However, their participation is also depended on health professionals’ ways of guiding the individual child when using the technology, both regarding decisions on when using the technology as well as their specific technological skills.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)