According to the routine immunization schedule of the Catalan Government’s Department of Health, children at the age of 6 receive two vaccines which are Diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccine and Hepatitis A vaccine. At this age, children easily recall their past negative medical experiences and suffer intense fear regarding the new invasive interventions that they will encounter. On the other hand, one of the main sources of this fear is a lack of knowledge regarding the interventions. At this point, the Jue-go! Project aims to inform and accompany the children during their vaccination process so that they may overlap their fears with the idea that the medicine can actually be fun!
How we will achieve that?
We are a big team of 10 rag dolls (diverse in terms of gender and physical characteristics) that will be waiting for the child in the vaccination area. The nurse (who will later give life to the selected rag doll with her voice) will introduce all of them to the child so that he/she can select his/her favorite. Later on, we will ask the child’s help to accompany the doll while it is being vaccinated. When the doll is receiving the vaccines, each step of the process will be explained with therapeutic playing techniques, so that the child can understand the order of the intervention and how is the feeling (when it’s going to hurt, how much it will last, etc.). Afterward, it will be the turn of the child to be vaccinated meanwhile the doll accompanies and motivates him/her.
Meanwhile, there will be two nurses who will be observing the child’s behaviors and the level of interaction with the doll. Also, we will question the child’s perceived pain level as well as parents’ satisfaction with the intervention.
This is a 2-years long controlled randomized study that has started in September 2021 and we are eager to share the results as the project develops.
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