Facilitare la comunicazione con i pazienti durante la visita

The work of a pediatrician requires active communication with children and adolescents, who have the right to express their point of view on their own health. However, many pediatric patients encounter barriers that hinder their ability to be heard. This study shows how the use of effective mediators, such as a paper form to collect questions, can help children express their own concerns. 174 patients were selected and divided into two groups: one had the opportunity to ask questions orally, while the other wrote them on a card. It emerged that 69% of the children and adolescents in the second group asked questions, compared to 50% in the “oral” group. The majority of the questions (40.23%) were related to aspects of development or physiological functioning, while 8.62% focused on emotional or social issues. It can be concluded that the use of appropriate tools can facilitate the expression of thoughts and fears by young patients.