Professionals’ experiences with paediatric colonoscopy: an interview study

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), adolescents comprise 25% of all cases of IBD. Several studies have found that a safe, informative, and effective colonoscopy, performed in a child-friendly atmosphere with minimal distress to the child, is difficult to achieve. The aim of this study was to describe nurse’s experiences of the pre-colonoscopy procedure prior in children. METHODS: A qualitative design with a thematic content analysis approach was used. Fifteen nurses at a children’s hospital participated in interviews regarding their experiences of the bowel cleansing procedure with PEG in children. RESULTS: Four key themes were extracted from the nurses’ experiences; lack of knowledge, challenges surrounding information, responsibility without control and assembly line- like procedure.. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that nurses feel that they need more time and education opportunities before involved in paediatric colonoscopies.