Multimedia Based Information to Parents in a Pediatric Acute Ward: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Multimedia Based Information to Parents in a Pediatric Acute Ward: A Randomized Controlled Trial
The aim of this study is to determine whether multimedia based health information presented
 in a pediatric acute ward to parents of children with breathing difficulties due to lower
 respiratory tract infections, is more effective than verbal information to reduce the
 parent's anxiety and to increase satisfaction with nursing care and health information.
The intervention website www.syktbarn.no is an open Norwegian online resource for parents of
 small children, and the site contains videos, audio clips, animations, illustrations,
 pictures and text materials regarding children's illnesses and normal development. In
 addition, the parents can use an interactive symptom checker that will help them to decide
 what to do and when to seek medical advice when their child is sick. The uniqueness of the
 website is the authentic video clips of sick children with common childhood symptoms like
 breathing difficulties, signs of dehydration, rash, cough and fever.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  parents of 0-15 years old children with breathing difficulties caused by LRTI
 (bronchiolitis, laryngitis or pneumonia) or asthma exacerbation

 -  ability to communicate and read Norwegian

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  parents of children with chronic diseases who have direct access to the acute ward,
 children with oxygen saturation less than 90 %, or other very sick children who need
 urgent treatment