TITLE:
Psychological preparation practices for children undergoing medical procedures in Japan and Germany
AUTHORS:
Naomi Matsumori, Michael Isfort
KEYWORDS:
Psychological Preparation; Children Undergoing Medical Procedures; Pediatric Nursing; Japan; Germany
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
13,
2013
ABSTRACT:
The
present study aimed to clarify the current status and awareness of
psychological preparation for children
undergoing medical procedures in pediatric nursing in Japan as
compared with that in Germany. An original questionnaire about the current
status and awareness of psychological preparation for children in hospitals was
distributed by mail to nurses’ working on Japanese pediatric wards in 2010.
The same questionnaire, translated into German, was distributed to nurses working on German pediatric wards via the
internet in 2010. A large majority of respondents strongly agreed that children
have a right to informed consent. German nurses expressed a longer-term
viewpoint on the effects of preparation than Japanese
nurses. Japanese nurses recognized a greater need for improvement in their duties than German nurses. The results suggest that we should consider our own country’s nursing
practices and need for improvement, but also learn from studies of other
countries to address each culture and medical situation appropriately.