effect of play in reducing procedure pain in hospitalized Egyptian and omani children

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to determine if a difference existed in children's physiologic and psychological response to painful procedures for two groups of hospitalized children in Egypt and Sultanate of Oman. A pretest/post-test factorial design was used. A total of one hundred hospitalized children [fifty Egyptians and fifty Omanies] were randomly assigned to study group or control group. Two different age groups were also included; ten children [four-seven years] and fifteen older children [eight-twelve years]. Children in the study group participated in two periods of planned age-appropriate play before and after the painful procedure, while the control group exposed to the regular ward stimuli. Children's physiological and psychological responses to painful procedures was determined by obtaining their heart rates and their ratings on age-appropriate pain procedures was determined by obtaining their heart rates and their ratings on age-appropriate pain assessment tools. Comparison between means and ANCOVA were performed to test the research hypotheses in relation to treatment groups, age group and culture