Children's Anxiety, Pain, and Distress Related to the Perception of Care While Undergoing an Acute Radiographic Examination

Visiting the hospital is likely a frightening experience for a child, and going through a radiographic examination has been reported as both distressing and painful. More knowledge from the children's perspective is needed on this subject, however, and thus, the aim of this study was to investigate children's anxiety, pain, and distress in conjunction with an acute radiographic procedure and whether these factors can be related to the perception of care. A mixed method design was used to analyze data from 110 participants between 5 and 15 years of age, who were examined in a Swedish radiology department. The quantitative findings showed anxiety, pain, and distress to be a concern during a radiographic examination. Significant correlations were obtained between anxiety and pain as well as between anxiety and distress. In addition, also the qualitative findings showed pain and the waiting time to be concerns. Regardless of the quantitative findings, however, children of all ages were satisfied with the care performed in the periradiographic process, perceiving the examination as supportive and geared to their needs. Robust assessment of anxiety, pain, and distress is imperative when interacting with children in acute examination situations to avoid both negative short-term and long-term consequences.