sashamedvinsky

Going to a hospital and having a procedure done could be a very stressful experience for children. Some children in addition to anxiety of anticipating dealing with strangers, changing into a hospital gown, experiencing pain, internalizing anxiety of their parents, and not knowing the outcome of their condition become very anxious, frustrated and scared. Their reaction can range from being very quiet and subdued, internalizing all the tension to being enraged and losing control. Some of them cry, scream or cling to their parents. The ambiance can be contagious making other children feel the same or worse. Our job as nurses is not only to provide the best nursing care physically, but also emotionally and psychologically. We know from many studies in psychology and nursing that having a better response and rapport helps all medical procedures to be smoother and more comfortable for a patient and parents. The environment plays a major role in how children respond emotionally. Positive environment makes them feel happier and more comfortable. There are several components in creating a positive environment. First, the physical surrounding and the atmosphere, such as color of walls, furniture, pictures, etc. Second, and one that is often overlooked, is the uniforms nurses wear. Where the surroundings make the overall environment feel comfortable, the uniform creates an added friendlier approach. Having different uniform themes not only brightens up atmosphere, it frequently serves as a distracter where children focus on characters and not on the procedure that is being done. Children identify with some of the more popular characters such as Disney and other well-liked cartoons. Prints of flowers, different types of vehicles, or designs helps children to relax even more. Several studies have reported significantly positive results when nurses wore multicolored or themed uniforms. Meyer (1992) conducted a study with 100 children ages 3-5. She reports that not only children preferred colorful and patterned smog uniforms, 41% found traditional white to be frightening (p=.001). Weissman (2009), describes the same results in her blog. She also adds that animals on badges, cartoon characters or even festive patterns may help children feel relieved or even help ease communication and relationship between a nurse and apprehensive child. Festini, at. al. (2008), conducted a study with 112 hospitalized children. She found that by using multi-colored and themed attire, children's perception of nurses to ease the discomfort experience due to hospitalization improved 96.2% (p=.01). Not only parents perception improved, but they also found nurses more reliable (p=.0003). According to Campbell, at. al. (2000), although there is a complex relationship that exists between the perception of the authority figure, providing security for families and suggesting an approachable figure, multicolored and themed uniform allows for more effective communication between staff and families. Not only in research, but also in our experience children who come to our unit for procedures respond positively to the multicolored and themed uniforms. They spontaneously verbalize their satisfaction and amusement. Parents who accompany children have reported many times that they prefer our uniforms and that they don't see the degration of professionalism. Based on nationally recognized studies and our experience in the Joe DiMaggio Hospital, hospital units should consider the multicolored and themed uniforms as a way to improve children's moral and ease the pain of their condition. Refrences Campbell, S., O’Malley, C., Watson, D., Charlwood, J. and Lowson, S. M. (2000), The image of the children’s nurse: a study of the qualities required by families of children’s nurses’ uniform. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 9: 71–82. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2702.2000.00347.x Festini, F., Occhipinti, V., Cocco, M., Biermann, K., Neri, S., Giannini, C., Galici, V., De Martino, M. and Caprilli, S. (2009), Use of non-conventional nurses’ attire in a pediatric hospital: a quasi-experimental study. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 18: 1018–1026. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2702.2008.02430.x Meyer, D. (1992), Children’s Responses to Nursing Attire. Pediatric Nursing, 18 (2), 157-60. Weissman, A. (2009), Scrubs and Uniforms to Wear When Working With Children. MyNursingUniforms.com / Young Lion Incorporated