Positive distraction for children during burn wound care in Australia - An evaluation of the 'Captains on Call' pilot. Published in Journal of Pediatric Nursing, May 2020
A recent evaluation of Captains on Call at the Burns Unit at Adelaide's Women's & Children's Hospital has shown that the program provides long-term benefits with parents and nurses reporting that children were less anxious about follow-up visits.
The study involved interviews with caregivers, patients, nurses and Captain Starlights. All caregivers, nurses and patients reported that they were likely to recommend the program to others.
About the program
This pilot program involves Captain Starlights providing positive distraction to children during potentially distressing and painful medical procedures. Captains on Call aims to reduce children's stress, anxiety and pain, and create a positive hospital experience.
Key findings
The study showed that the program provides:
Positive distraction from pain and boredom
Helps reduce children's anxiety and distress
Helps parents better cope with their child's procedure
Siblings also benefited from positive distraction while waiting for procedures to finish
"When we walked in here last week he was so afraid... Today, he was like 'let's do it' because he knew that the Captains were going to be here to make him smile. That's made a huge difference and impact on him." - Parent