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Learning Objective 1: The objective of this study was to assess coping behavior during blood sampling and comparison of factors among children aged 3–6 years.
Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to find the effects of the nursing clinics.
Methods: Fifty-two children aged 3–6 years were observed during blood sampling, and their behavior was measured using the Manifest Upset and Cooperation Scales (Koseki, 1984). We compared the coping behavior during blood sampling with respect to age, sex, and explanations provided to these children prior to blood sampling. Permission was obtained from the ethical examination committee of the institution to which the researchers were affiliated.
Results: Consent was obtained from 59 of the 60 requested pairs of children, and data from 52 children were analyzed. The average age of the children (32 boys and 20 girls) was 4.3 ± 1.1 years, and all of them had undergone blood sampling previously. Explanations were provided to 37 children prior to blood sampling, whereas no explanations were provided to 15 children. To examine the coping behavior at the time of drawing blood, the median Manifest Upset score was 7.0 (3–15) and the median Cooperation score was 6.0 (3–15). In the comparison of factors, “Age” and “Explanation” were shown to influence coping behavior during blood sampling among children. However, the influence of sex was not significant. The 3-year-old children did not became calm effectively and were uncooperative compared with the 4- to 6-year-old children (p<0.05). The children to whom explanations were provided before blood sampling were cooperative and calm and were significantly older than those to whom no explanations were provided (p<0.05).
Conclusion: The present study suggests that medical staff need preparation prior to blood sampling for younger children. It is more important to give preparations to 3-year-olds than to the 4- to 6-years olds prior to blood sampling in order to promote coping behavior in them.