Investigating various interventions to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents suffering from chronic diseases - a systematic review.

Abstract

Introduction: The transition from childhood to adulthood is an ups-and-down experience determined by increased independence, formation, and development of personal identity. Children with chronic diseases compared to their peers, face more challenges during this period that can exacerbate their symptoms and negatively affect their quality of life. This research aims to review the studies that have investigated the ways to improve the quality of life of children and adolescents with chronic diseases in Iran.

Content: In this study, a search was done in the international databases of PubMed, Scopus, web of Science, Google Scholar, and the internal databases of Magiran and SID with related keywords including children, adolescents, chronic diseases, quality of life, health, nursing interventions were carried out from 2010 to July 2024. Exclusion criteria included summaries of conference articles and foreign articles other than Persian and English.

Summary and outlook: In the primary search, 363 articles were found. After removing duplicates and unrelated items, and finally, 36 articles (52.77 % in English, 47.22 % in Persian) were examined in line with the objectives of the present study. The results of the study indicate that non-pharmacological interventions can significantly improve the quality of life of adolescents with chronic diseases. Nursing interventions appear to have a positive and significant effect on the quality of life of children and adolescents with chronic illness.