Effect of toys made from medical materials on anxiety among hospitalized children: A randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of toys made from medical materials on anxiety among hospitalized children.

Design and methods: This study was conducted with pediatric patients aged 4-6 years who were hospitalized in the pediatrics department of a teaching and research hospital in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. The study was completed with 90 children, allocated to the toys made of medical materials group (45) and the control group (45). Children, in the toys made of medical materials group, were given medical materials and asked to make toys. The anxiety levels of children in both the toys made of medical materials and control groups were assessed using the Children's State Anxiety (CSA) scale.

Results: Analysis based on children's self-reports revealed a significant reduction in the post-test anxiety scores of children in the toys made of medical materials group. No significant difference was observed in the anxiety scores of children in the control group. In the comparison between groups based on mothers' reports, it was found that the post-test anxiety scores of children in the toys made of medical materials group were significantly lower than those of children in the control group.

Conclusions: Our study found that toys made from medical materials were effective in reducing children's anxiety.

Practice implications: Healthcare workers can relieve children's anxieties by making toys using medical materials that are easily accessible in the clinic.