Hospital School Experience
Conditions
Keywords
hospital school, pain, distress, negative emotions, school continuity, child
Brief summary
Aim of present study is to evaluate the efficacy of hospital school experience in the reduction of distress, pain and negative emotion in children from 8 to 12 years old, hospitalized in oncology and pediatric wards. Investigators also want to explore the ideas and opinions of teachers and parents about hospital school service. Hypothesis: the investigators expect a reduction in pain, distress and negative emotions.
Detailed description
The school service into the hospital was born as an attempt to support emotionally, relationally and cognitively the hospitalized children, who have to spend a lot of time alone, without being educated by teachers with their classmates. There are not many studies in the Italian contest about this issue and with the present study the investigators intended to implement the acknowledgement about this theme. The principal aim of this study is to explore if the school service reduces negative emotions experienced by oncological children as well as perceived pain and distress. To evaluate this aims, the investigators organized the study in 3 sections: the first is about the emotions experienced by oncological children between 8 and 12 years old, who benefit from the school service into the hospital; the second is about their parents' opinions and believes about the hospital school service; the third is about opinions, training and educational method dedicated by hospital school teachers and not hospital school teachers (who previously thought to our oncology children sample).
Interventions
OTHERHospital School Experience, point of view of the children
Operators of the PANAS-C, PH-C and VAS ask the children to answer the questionnaire before/after the school lesson; then they ask the children to make 2 paintings about hospital and not hospital school experience.
OTHERHospital School Experience, point of view of the hospital teachers
operators interview hospital teachers and make them complete a questionnaire (CEESQ)
OTHERHospital School Experience, point of view of the non hospital teachers
operators interview the teachers and make them complete a questionnaire (CEESQ)
OTHERHospital School Experience, point of view of parents
Operators interview parents
Sponsors
University of Florence
Meyer Children's Hospital IRCCS
Study design
Observational model
CASE_ONLY
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
8 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
for children: * age between 8 and 12 years old * knowledge of Italian language * consent for study participation * recovery * be/not be in contact with classmates (group A and group B)
Exclusion criteria
for Children: * patients who have already had hospital school experience in the past * cognitive disability * patients that cannot complete the study because of health or mental issues incoming during the period of the research Inclusion criteria for hospital teachers: * Italian knowledge * Being a hospital teacher
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Positive and Negative affect before/after hospital school experience | PANAS - C is completed by the child before and after the school experience (average 3 months); it takes around 5 minutes for each investigation. | PANAS - C (Positive and Negative Affect Scale for Children): original version by Laurent (1999), italian version by Ciucci and collaborators. 30-item numerical scale assessing two dimensions (positive and negative affect, 15-item each) on a 5 point likert scale. Validated for children between 8 and 12 years old. Aim of this scale is to evaluate the presence of positive and negative emotions before/after an experience/activity. |
| Change in Distress level before/after hospital school experience | PH - C is completed by the child before and after the school experience (average 3 months); it takes around 3 minutes for each investigation. | PH - C (Psychological Hyperarousal Scale for Children): original version by Laurent (2004), italian version by Ciucci and collaborators. Numerical scale composed by 18 items measured on a 5 point Likert Scale. Aim of this scale is to evaluate the presence/absence of distress before and after the activity. |
| Change in Pain level before/after hospital school experience | VAS is completed by the child before and after the school experience (average 3 months); it takes around 30 seconds for each investigation. | visual analogue scale (VAS) for children, by Scott, Ansell, & Huskisson (1977). It's a likert scale measuring perceived pain from 0 (no pain) to 10 (maximum pain). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| research form for investigator | within 3 months after child's recruiting, the researcher observes a lesson and then fills in the form | it's a research partially structured form regarding informations about how it's organised hospital school service |
| research form for the outside teacher | through study completion, an average of 1 year, the outside teacher fill in the form after a lesson | it's a research partially structured form regarding informations about how it's organised hospital school service |
| explorative interview for parents | Investigators interview the parent in a silent and private room within 1 year after child's recruiting | it's a partially structured interview concerning ideas and opinions of parents about hospital school service |
| child's emotions and ideas about outside school service | within 1 year after child's recruiting, investigators ask the child to draw when present in the Oncology Day Hospital or in the oncology/pediatric ward and then pick the draw | investigators ask the child to draw the outside school service and then is asked what he has drawn, what it represents, what's for him/her the best moment of school; also, children is asked if he/she perceives a difference between outside school and hospital school service |
| emotions and self efficacy of hospital teachers | the investigator asks the teacher to fill in the questionnaire, within 3 months after child's recruiting | CEESQ (Crèche Educators Emotional Style Questionnaire): italian version by Ciucci, Baroncelli and Toselli (2015); numerical scale measuring emotions and self efficacy on a likert scale from 0 to 5; it takes around 10/15 minutes |
| child's emotions and ideas about hospital school service | within 1 year after child's recruiting, investigators ask the child to draw when present in the Oncology Day Hospital or in the oncology/pediatric ward and then pick the draw | investigators ask the child to draw the hospital school service and then is asked what he/she has drawn, what it represents, what's for him/her the best moment of hospital school |
| explorative interview for hospital teachers | investigators interview the hospital teacher in a silent and private room within 3 months after child's recruiting | it's a partially structured interview concerning ideas and opinions of hospital teachers about hospital school service, methods of learning and teaching |
| explorative interview for outside teachers | investigators arranged an appointment to interview the teacher within 1 year after child's recruiting | it's a partially structured interview concerning ideas and opinions of outside teachers about hospital school service |
Countries
Italy
Outcome results
None listed