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Use Of Pet Therapy In Chıldren Receıvıng Nebulızer Treatment

Effects of Pet Therapy on Anxiety, Pulse Rate and Saturation In Children Between 3 and 6 Years of Age Who Received Nebulizer Treatment in the Emergency Department: A Randomized Controlled Study

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Observational
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT07082907
Enrollment
60
Registered
2025-07-24
Start date
2025-02-01
Completion date
2025-06-30
Last updated
2025-07-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Respiratory Disease

Keywords

Respiratory disease, therapy animals, nebülizer, child

Brief summary

The use of nebulizers in children is one of the most common noninvasive methods used in respiratory system diseases. This application can cause anxiety and stress in children in hospital environments, especially in emergency departments. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the effect of pet therapy on anxiety, pulse and saturation in children between the ages of 3-6 who receive nebulizer treatment in units such as emergency departments.

Detailed description

With nebulizer drug application, drugs such as bronchodilators, antibiotics, anticholinergics, corticosteroids are delivered directly to the lungs by inhalation. In nebulizer drug applications, the amount of drug, the method of administration, the duration, and the position of the patient are the most important criteria to be followed in order to administer the drug appropriately and effectively. Any disruption in any of these applications negatively affects the treatment process. Stress and anxiety experienced during nebulizer treatment in children can cause undesirable results in vital signs such as pulse. Treatment can therefore cause disruption. Although this application does not cause pain, being in a hospital environment and being an intervention applied by health professionals can cause anxiety in children. In addition, symptoms such as tachycardia are observed in children with some drugs administered via nebulizer. Many animal applications are used in animal-assisted therapies and it is emphasized that the stress of child patients decreases with these methods. In nebulizer drug use, the anxiety experienced by children due to both the mask and drug interactions applied in drug treatment and the changes in vital signs they encounter due to drug interactions have been tried to be supported with changing applications in the literature. However, when we look at the literature, we have not found any studies using pet therapy during nebulizer use.

Interventions

OTHERintervention group

Before using the nebulizer, children were given 2 fish in a bowl accompanied by their parents. The child patient was in the fowler/semifowler position, the movements of the fish were monitored during the nebulization period, and the fish was fed by the child during this process (Communication was provided for at least 5 minutes.)

Sponsors

Recep Tayyip Erdogan University
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Observational model
CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective
CROSS_SECTIONAL

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 6 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Receiving inhalation therapy as an outpatient in the emergency department * Between 3 and 6 years of age (determined as the age range in which children can communicate visually and emotionally) * Parents must have received nebulizer training before the procedure/nurse-assisted treatment if this is the first procedure * No visual impairment (for communication in pet therapy) * No congenital cardiac disease (for homogeneous data in pulse and SpO2 monitoring) * Agreeing to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

for the study: * Children under 3 and over 6 * Parents and children who do not agree to participate in the study

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Scale for Assessing Children's Emotional ExpressionThe treatment period for the sick child in the emergency unit covers an average of 20-30 minutes during which time he/she receives nebulization.There was a significant relationship between the child's age and the annual number of nebulizer uses on the CDBDS scale score during Pet therapy application (R=0.547, R2=0.300, p\<0.05).

Other

MeasureTime frameDescription
Scale for Assessing Children's Emotional ExpressionBetween February and June 2025The emergency department has varying levels of nebulization throughout the day. Some days, there are no patients at all, while other days, two or three pediatric patients receive nebulization. Reaching the sample size within this timeframe was among the other goals.

Countries

Turkey (Türkiye)

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026