Date of Award
2022
Degree Type
Selective Evidence-Based Medicine Review
Degree Name
Master of Science in Health Sciences - Physician Assistant
Department
Physician Assistant Studies
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to investigate the question, “does medical clowning impact anxiety in the pediatric patient undergoing medical interventions?”
STUDY DESIGN: Review of three randomized control trials (RCT).
DATA SOURCES: These articles were published between 2012-2021 in English. The in peer-reviewed journals, searched for using PubMed.
OUTCOME(S) MEASURED: The outcomes measured included anxiety level in pediatric patients undergoing medical interventions.
RESULTS: In the RCT led by Dionigi et al., medical clowning led to a reduction in pediatric patient anxiety compared with the control group (P < 0.005), indicated by a mean change from baseline of 17. In the RCT by Felluga et al., medical clowning led to a reduction in pediatric patient anxiety compared with the control group (P < 0.05), indicated by a mean change from baseline of 1. Lastly, Mieri et al. demonstrated a reduction pediatric patient anxiety with medical clowning, indicated by a mean change from baseline of 0.04 with statistical significance of P < 0.05 in the treatment group.
CONCLUSION: All three studies in this review demonstrated that medical clowning led to significantly reduced anxiety as measured by the Visual Analog-like scales. This suggests medical clowning is an effective and beneficial method for reducing anxiety in the pediatric patient undergoing medical intervention. Further studies should investigate the use of medical clowning with staff, guardians, and in various modalities.
Recommended Citation
Blaze, Kelso, "Does medical clowning impact anxiety in the pediatric population undergoing medical interventions?" (2022). PCOM Physician Assistant Studies Student Scholarship. 653.
https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/pa_systematic_reviews/653