The Effect of Preparation for Hospitalization on School-Age Children’s Anxiety During Admission at Hamadan Besat Educational Hospital

Introduction: Hospitalization is one of the main causes of anxiety in children. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of preparation for hospitalization on anxiety during admission of school-age children in Hamadan Beast Hospital in 2017. Methods: In this quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group study, 54 school-age children (6 to 12 years old) referred to the children departments (1 and 2) of Besat Hospital of Hamadan were randomly assigned to two groups. A demographic questionnaire and Spielberger anxiety questionnaire were used to collect data. In the treatment group, after completing the questionnaires, the preparation program was provided: this included familiarizing the child with the department and personnel, the tools, and presentation of a cartoon booklet for 30 minutes. For the control group, the usual tasks of the department were applied, after which the questionnaires were re-filled by both groups. Data was analyzed using SPSS 16, Fisher and Chi-square tests. Results: The mean of anxiety scores before and after intervention was significantly different in the control group (P=0.001), and there was a significant difference between the intervention group before and after the intervention (P=0/050), which indicates the positive effect of the intervention on reducing the anxiety of school-age children. Conclusion: The program of pereparation for hospitalization is an effective method for decreasing the anxiety of school-age children.